Government Departments: Security

Francis Maude: To ask the Prime Minister with reference to the answer of 21 July 2009,  Official Report, column 1166W, on Government departments: security 
	(1)  who would be consulted when taking a decision on whether to refer a case to the Security Commission;
	(2)  and to the answer to the hon. Member for Southend West of 8 June 2009,  Official Report, column 712W, on Damian Green, for what reason the Security Commission was not requested to investigate in the case of the Home Office leaks that subsequently lead to the Cabinet Office asking the police to investigate.

Gordon Brown: I have nothing further to add to the answers given on 21 July 2009,  Official Report, column 1166W and 8 June 2009,  Official Report, column 712W.

Departmental Food

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the quantity of food waste generated by his Department in each year for which figures are available.

Shaun Woodward: The Northern Ireland Office (NIO) has not made any estimate of the food waste arising from the Department. My Department strives to ensure that purchases match demand that it provides and that, where possible, only peelings and cuttings are disposed.

Sexual Offences

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people in Northern Ireland were  (a) prosecuted for and  (b) convicted of a serious sexual assault in each year since 2007.

Paul Goggins: The following table outlines the number of prosecutions and convictions for serious sexual assaults by type of offence for the calendar years 2004 to 2006 (the latest years for which figures are available).
	Data are collated on the principal offence rule; so only the most serious offence with which an offender is charged is included.
	
		
			  Prosecutions and Convictions for serious sexual assault offences by type of offence 2004 to 2006 
			   2004  2005  2006 
			   Prosecutions  Convictions  Prosecutions  Convictions  Prosecutions  Convictions 
			 Rape 29 15 21 4 32 11 
			 Attempted rape 8 3 9 4 5 0 
			 Gross indecency with child 5 3 10 6 6 5 
			 Buggery with male person, 16 years or over without consent 1 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Buggery with boy under 16 years of age 11 6 3 1 7 3 
			 Buggery with a woman 1 1 0 0 0 0 
			 Buggery with a girl 3 1 2 0 1 0 
			 Unlawful carnal knowledge of a girl under 14 years 4 4 4 3 3 3 
			 Unlawful carnal knowledge of a girl under 17 years 3 2 4 4 6 5 
			 Incest by man on female 0 0 1 1 1 1 
			 Forcibly abducting a female with intent to carnally know her 0 0 1 0 0 0 
			 Indecent assault on female 89 57 85 51 109 73 
			 Indecent assault on male 20 17 16 11 14 8 
			 Indecent assault on female child 8 3 20 18 5 2 
			 Indecent assault on male child 6 4 8 5 1 0 
			 Total 188 116 184 108 190 111

Electoral Register: Second Homes

Stewart Jackson: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission what guidance the Electoral Commission provides to second home owners on their eligibility to register to vote in their electoral area of their second home.

Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that general guidance is provided on its website at:
	www.electoralcommission.org.uk
	This explains that the decision to register an elector rests with the local electoral registration officer (ERO) who will consider the circumstances of each case. Paying council tax on a second home does not qualify a person for registration in that area. The guidance directs people to contact their ERO for clarification.
	The Commission's guidance manual for EROs contains advice on registering electors in respect of a second address.

General Election

Stewart Jackson: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission what assessment the Electoral Commission has made of the merits of holding a national referendum on the same day as a general election.

Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that it is for Parliament to decide the date when a national referendum should be held.
	However, if asked for advice on a proposal to combine a referendum with an election, the Commission would consider the facts relating to that specific combination, looking at what the benefits or drawbacks to the voter would be. Relevant factors would include whether any significant change in the electoral process was being applied for the first time and the likely increase in turnout resulting from combination. The Commission's priority is that any combined event should be well run and easy for voters to understand and participate in.

General Election

Stewart Jackson: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 22 October 2009,  Official Report, column 1629W, on general elections, what evidence the Electoral Commission holds on the effects on timing of vote counting on the accuracy of the count.

Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that it received representations from returning officers and electoral administrators as part of its 2005 review of the timing of counts at future combined Scottish parliamentary and local government elections, which suggested that staff fatigue arising from conducting an overnight Scottish Parliament count followed by a complex local government count the following day could lead to the accuracy of the count being called into question.
	However, the Commission further informs me that specific, statistical evidence on the relative accuracy of Thursday and Friday counts would be difficult to collate, not only because there have been relatively few counts commenced on Friday morning in recent years, but also given the many different variables which could affect accuracy.

General Election 2010

David Evennett: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission what information the Electoral Commission holds on the number of election counts that are not planned to commence on the evening of polling day in the general election.

Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that it has asked all returning officers to provide information about their current plans for counting ballot papers at the next UK parliamentary general election. This information has been made available in the House of Commons Library.
	In summary, as of 7 January 2010, returning officers for 586 out of 650 constituencies had provided information. Of these, 52 currently do not plan to count ballot papers on the evening of polling day at the general election. A further 17 have indicated they may defer counting in the event that the general election is combined with local authority elections, and 187 were still undecided.

Aircraft Carriers: Northern Ireland

Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much funding he expects to allocate in respect of contract work related to the new aircraft carrier project to be undertaken in Northern Ireland.

Quentin Davies: Subcontracts for the Queen Elizabeth (QE) class are not allocated but awarded via a selection process based on competition. Contracts have been awarded to over 50 suppliers based in the UK; some of which may have facilities in Northern Ireland. However, we are not aware of any work being based in Northern Ireland at this time. A number of subcontracts have yet to be competed and companies within Northern Ireland remain free to bid.

Departmental Electronic Equipment

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many iPODS have been bought by his Department since 2005; and at what cost.

Quentin Davies: The Department has no central arrangements for purchasing iPods.
	A comprehensive answer to this question could therefore be produced only by contacting all units and establishments to inquire whether any such items have been purchased under local arrangements. This could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Military Aircraft

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many aircraft of each type there are in the RAF.

Bill Rammell: The number of aircraft in the Royal Air Force in-service fleet are provided in the following table. The figures show the service fleet position as of 31 December 2009. "In service" has been taken to mean the effective fleet, which covers all aircraft barring those which are redundant, declared as surplus or awaiting disposal.
	
		
			  Aircraft type  In service fleet 
			 BAe 146 2 
			 BAe 125 6 
			 C-17 6 
			 Dominie 9 
			 Harrier 74 i 
			 Hawk T1 129 
			 Hawk T2 17 
			 Hercules CI30K 14 
			 Hercules CI30J 24 
			 Nimrod MR2 11 
			 Nimrod R1 2 
			 Sea King (SARF) 25 
			 Sentinel 5 
			 Sentry 5 
			 Tornado F3 54 
			 Tornado GR4 137 
			 Tristar 9 
			 Tucano 93 
			 Typhoon 62 
			 VC10 15 
			 Vigilant 65 
			 Viking 82

RAF Menwith Hill

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the space-based infrared system at RAF Menwith Hill to be operational.

Bill Rammell: The Space Based Infra-Red System (SBIRS) facilities at RAF Menwith Hill are ready for operation. The operational date for SBIRS is a matter for the United States, but is unlikely to be until later this year.

RAF Menwith Hill and RAF Fylingdales

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost was of external policing at  (a) RAF Menwith Hill and  (b) RAF Fylingdales in each year since 2001.

Bill Rammell: External policing at RAF Menwith Hill and RAF Fylingdales is primarily provided by the local constabulary, the North Yorkshire Police (NYP). At RAF Menwith Hill the Ministry of Defence Police (MDP) conduct joint patrols with the NYP. The MDP costs are met from the defence budget. It is common practice that police forces do not release specific information relating to on-going police operations, to prevent the potential for operational compromise.

Trident

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the answer of 29 October 2009,  Official Report, column 502W, on Trident, whether the defence board has concluded its assessment of the work required during the concept phase of replacement of the Trident Nuclear Weapons System.

Bob Ainsworth: Progress on the concept phase for the future deterrent has been considered by the Defence Board. More time is required to ensure that we take decisions based on the most robust information. We are aiming to be in a position to make a statement on progress soon.

Bus Services: Bankruptcy

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many bus companies have  (a) become bankrupt,  (b) gone into liquidation,  (c) ceased trading for other reasons and  (d) started up in each of the last 10 years, broken down by the smallest geographical area for which data is available.

Sadiq Khan: The Department for Transport does not hold this information.

Departmental Electronic Equipment

Greg Hands: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many iPODs have been bought by his Department since 2005; and at what cost.

Chris Mole: The Department for Transport and its agencies have bought 23 iPODs since 2005, all of them in 2009. Of these, 21 were bought at a cost of £1,650 by DFT (central), for use as prizes in an anti-drink drive radio campaign. They were provided to 21 radio stations across the country who agreed to run quizzes on the theme of the consequences of drink driving as part of a Think! road safety campaign. The other two, at a cost of £75, were bought by the Highways Agency as prizes for staff campaigns committed to environmental sustainability.

Railways: Bankruptcy

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many train companies have  (a) become bankrupt,  (b) gone into liquidation,  (c) ceased trading for other reasons and  (d) started up in each of the last 10 years, broken down by the lowest geographical area for which data is available.

Chris Mole: The Department for Transport does not keep a record of how many train companies have  (a) become bankrupt,  (b) gone into liquidation, or  (c) ceased trading. This information may be sourced through Companies House. The decision to cease trading is a commercial decision made by train companies.
	With regard to the number of train companies which have started up in each of the last 10 years, this is a matter for the independent Office of Rail Regulation who can be contacted at:
	Office of Rail Regulation
	One Kemble Street
	London
	WC2B 4AN
	The Office of Rail Regulation provides all train operators on the United Kingdom rail network with operating licences.

Railways: Finance

Mike Wood: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport whether the review of value for money for the railways announced in the pre-Budget report will be used to assist in deciding overall funding for the railways for the control period 2014-19.

Chris Mole: The value for money review will constitute one of the pieces of evidence that will be used in deciding funding for the railways for Control Period 5 (2014-19).

Road Traffic

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what estimate he has made of the cost to the economy of road congestion in the next  (a) five,  (b) 10,  (c) 25 and  (d) 50 years.

Sadiq Khan: The Department for Transport generally estimates changes in congestion between future scenarios to calculate the benefits of potential transport interventions. However, it has also used analysis from the National Transport Model to estimate what the change in the cost of congestion is likely to be between a base year and a future year.
	The 2006 Eddington Study estimated that the increase in time lost in England due to road congestion between 2003 and 2025 for all travellers including business and freight would be worth £23 to £24 billion in 2025 (2002 prices). The Eddington Study is available at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/about/strategy/transportstrategy/eddingtonstudy/
	No such assessment for 2015, 2020, 2035, or 2060 is available.
	The latest forecasts of congestion are available in "Road Traffic Forecasts 2008: Results from the Department for Transport's National Transport Model", which is available at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/economics/ntm/roadtransportforcasts08/rtf08.pdf

Roads: Birmingham

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what the percentage year on year change in the number of  (a) deaths and  (b) serious injury as a result of road accidents has been in Birmingham in each of the last three years.

Paul Clark: The information requested is given in the following table:
	
		
			  Reported killed and seriously injured casualties in road accidents in Birmingham, and percentage change from previous year: 2006-08 
			   Number  Percentage change 
			   Killed  Severely injured  Killed  Severely injured 
			 2006 49 441 44 -9 
			 2007 24 490 -51 11 
			 2008 29 401 21 -18

Roads: Snow and Ice

David Drew: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport whether there are mechanisms in place to compensate local authorities in circumstances in which companies contracted by them to provide salt have not fulfilled their contractual obligations as a result of the intervention of the Salt Cell.

Sadiq Khan: This is a matter for salt suppliers and their customers. The Salt Cell has only been established only to advise salt suppliers which areas of the nation's road network have the greatest need for salt.

Roads: Snow and Ice

Anne Milton: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how frequently the Government's salt cell meets during periods of extreme weather; how many times it has met since 19 December; and how frequently it plans to meet in 2011.

Sadiq Khan: The Salt Cell usually meets twice a week, although it will meet more or less frequently as the situation demands. In response to the current severe weather, the Salt Cell was convened on 6 January and has since met four times. The frequency of Salt Cell meetings in 2011 will be determined by the need for meetings, which will in turn be determined by the circumstances.

Roads: Snow and Ice

Ben Chapman: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many requests the Highways Agency has received from Royal Mail to clear the roads  (a) in Wirral South constituency and  (b) elsewhere in the last two months.

Chris Mole: The Highways Agency is only responsible for the strategic road network (i.e. motorways and trunk roads) and has not received any requests from Royal Mail to clear the roads in either Wirral South constituency or elsewhere on its network in the last two months.

Archaeological Sites

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  how many sites and monuments are in the guardianship of local authorities under the provisions of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979;
	(2)  which sites and monuments in the guardianship of the Secretary of State are covered by local management agreements with local authorities.

Margaret Hodge: There are 32 sites and monuments in the guardianship of the Secretary of State that are covered by local management agreements with local authorities. Details of these sites by region have been supplied by English Heritage and are provided in the table:
	
		
			  Site  Partner 
			  North West Region  
			 Chester Amphitheatre Cheshire West and Chester Council 
			 Chester Castle Cheshire West and Chester Council 
			   
			  North East Region  
			 Gisborough Priory Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council 
			   
			  South West Region  
			 Belas Knap Long Barrow Gloucestershire County Council 
			 Notgrove Long Barrow Gloucestershire County Council 
			 Nympsfield Long Barrow Gloucestershire County Council 
			 Rodmarton Long Barrow Gloucestershire County Council 
			 Uley Long Barrow Gloucestershire County Council 
			   
			  South East  
			 Calshot Castle Hampshire County Council 
			 Rochester Castle Medway Council 
			 Upnor Castle Medway Council 
			 Temple Manor Medway Council 
			 Milton Chantry Gravesham Borough Council 
			 Camber Castle East Sussex County Council together with Rye Harbour Nature Board 
			 Reculver Roman Fort and Towers Canterbury City Council 
			   
			  East of England  
			 Blue Bottle Grove Colchester Borough Council 
			 St. Botolph's Priory Colchester Borough Council 
			 St. John's Abbey gate Colchester Borough Council 
			 Lexden Straight Rd Colchester Borough Council 
			 Bury St Edmunds Abbey St. Edmundsbury Borough Council 
			 Caister Great Yarmouth Borough Council 
			 Duxford South Cambridgeshire District Council 
			 Norwich Cow Tower Norwich City Council 
			 Thetford Priory Thetford Town Council 
			 Waltham Abbey Lee Valley Regional Park 
			   
			  East Midlands  
			 Arbor Low Peak Park Authority 
			 Nine Ladies Peak Park Authority 
			 Hob Hurst's House Peak Park Authority 
			 Eyam Moor Peak Park Authority 
			 Chichele College East Northants District Council 
			 Gainsborough Old Hall Lincolnshire County Council 
			 Rufford Abbey Nottinghamshire County Council 
		
	
	The sites and monuments in the guardianship of local authorities under the provisions of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 information requested is not held centrally but held at local level by individual local authorities.

Compulsory Purchase: Archaeological Sites

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many times compulsory purchase powers under  (a) the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 and  (b) other legislation to protect sites and monuments of national importance have been used by local authorities in the last 10 years; what sites have been so purchased; and on what dates.

Margaret Hodge: The information is as follows:
	 (a) The Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 does not give local planning authorities compulsory purchase powers.
	 (b) Under the 1990 Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act, if it appears to the Secretary of State that reasonable steps are not being taken to properly preserve a listed building, he may authorise the appropriate authority to acquire compulsorily the building and any relevant land, or may himself compulsorily acquire them, although this is a reserve power used only in the case of nationally significant buildings.
	There are a number of routes by which local authorities may acquire heritage buildings through Compulsory Purchase Order, the 1990 Act being only one. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport does not hold comprehensive information on all compulsory purchase powers enjoyed by local authorities for the purpose of protecting sites and monuments of national importance.

Departmental Pay

Lee Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much has been paid in bonuses to civil servants in his Department in each year since 2003.

Si�n Simon: An element of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport's (DCMS) overall pay award is allocated to non-consolidated variable pay related to performance. These payments are used to drive high performance and form part of the pay award for members of staff who demonstrate exceptional performance, for example by exceeding targets set or meeting challenging objectives.
	Non-consolidated variable pay awards are funded from within existing pay bill controls, and have to be re-earned each year against pre-determined targets and, as such, do not add to future pay bill costs. The percentage of the pay bill set aside for performance-related awards for the SCS is based on recommendations from the independent Senior Salaries Review Body.
	The Department makes non-consolidated performance payments to its employees for two purposes: (a) in year non-consolidated performance payments to reward outstanding contributions in particularly demanding tasks or situations; and (b) year end non-consolidated performance payments to reward highly successful performance over a whole year. In both cases they support and help drive high performance.
	These figures are exclusive of two key senior staff in the Government Olympic Executive, who were appointed on fixed term contracts ending in 2012 and whose remuneration reflects extensive relevant experience and the unique challenge of delivering the Olympics to a fixed deadline. Details of the remuneration of two key senior staff were published in the departmental Annual Reports and Accounts 2009.
	Details of the non-consolidated performance payments paid to departmental employees are set out in the table.
	
		
			  Performance year  Total number of awards  Value of non-consolidated performance payments (£)  Wages and salaries (£)  Non-consolidated performance payments as percentage of wages and salaries (percentage) 
			 2003-04 215 206,403 18,681,000 1.10 
			 2004-05 172 215,285 19,487,000 1.10 
			 2005-06 240 293,241 22,191,000 1.32 
			 2006-07 245 392,114 25,243,000 1.55 
			 2007-08 379 520,713 26,047,000 2.00 
			 2008-09 397 517,167 25,327,000 2.04 
			  Note: The wages and salaries for each financial year is taken from Department's annual resource accounts

Licensed Premises: Birmingham

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many licensed premises there were per 1,000 of population in Birmingham in each of the last three years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Alcohol, Entertainment and Late Night Refreshment Licensing Statistical Bulletin, under the provisions of the Licensing Act 2003, collects the number of premises licences and club premises certificates.
	The following table shows the number of licensed premises per 1,000 of the population of Birmingham as at 31 March 2007, 2008 and 2009.
	
		
			   Premises licences and club premises certificates per 1,000 population 
			 2007 2.9 
			 2008 2.8 
			 2009 2.8 
		
	
	The number of licences in 2007 have been adjusted by Mid-2007 Population estimates (produced by the Office of National Statistics), the number of licences in 2008 and 2009 have both been adjusted by Mid-2008 Population estimates (latest available estimates).

Listed Buildings: Conservation

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when the English Heritage At Risk register will next be updated.

Margaret Hodge: English Heritage advise that their 2010 Heritage at Risk register will be published on 1 July 2010.

Museums and Galleries: Educational Visits

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what free educational schemes his Department operates in national museums and galleries.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 21 January 2010
	The Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Children, Schools and Families jointly fund the 'Strategic Commissioning' programme. This programme provides funding for national museums to develop free educational and community programmes.
	The programme was established in 2003 and exists to support the formal and informal learning of children, young people and adults through the more effective use of museums and galleries. By 2011, this programme will have seen £32 million of investment.
	By 2011, £15.3 million of this investment will have gone towards enabling 11 national museums and their regional partners, plus the British Library, to develop free museum-based educational programmes for school age children and local communities. Over 300,000 school children have benefited from this programme to date.

Royal Parks Agency: Taxation

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much accrued to the Royal Parks Agency from the encroachment rate payable in Bushy Park in each of the last 10 years; when the rate was first levied; what rate was charged in each of the last 10 years; how many dwellings and hereditaments are liable for the rate; and whether the rate is classified as a tax by the Office of National Statistics.

Margaret Hodge: The Royal Parks (TRP) advise that there are currently 45 commercial, 84 residential, and 17 utility encroachment licenses recorded for Bushy Park. TRP advise that they have accrued the following encroachment income over the past 10 years:
	
		
			  Financial year  Income( 1)  (£) 
			 1999-2000 34,916 
			 2000-01 104,282 
			 2001-02 49,748 
			 2002-03 117,672 
			 2003-04 73,116 
			 2004-05 67,003 
			 2005-06 75,923 
			 2006-07 64,765 
			 2007-08 90,937 
			 2008-09 64,583 
			 (1) These figures exclude British Telecom encroachments which are licensed under a Master Agreement covering all parks. 
		
	
	The procedure for licensing encroachments has been in operation since prior to the turn of the previous century, and the licence fee is for the use and occupation of Bushy Park land. The level of fee is assessed individually to reflect the extent of the encroachment on park land.
	The licence fee is not classified as a tax by the Office of National Statistics.

Sports: National Lottery

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much has the Big Lottery Fund has given to sport-related activities in 2008-09.

Si�n Simon: The information requested is not held by my Department and relates to matters that are the responsibility of the Big Lottery Fund.
	Accordingly, I have asked the chief executive of the Big Lottery Fund to write direct to the hon. Member for Faversham and Mid-Kent.
	Copies of the reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Swimming: Lincolnshire

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what funding his Department has provided to local authorities in  (a) North East Lincolnshire and  (b) North Lincolnshire to meet the costs of free swimming lessons for (i) pensioners and (ii) young people since April 2009.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Free Swimming Programme is funded to provide 100,000 free swimming lessons. Local authorities are required to apply to the Amateur Swimming Association for funding for the delivery of free swimming lessons in their areas.
	North East Lincolnshire Unitary Authority applied for funding for free swimming lessons for both the elderly and young people and received a total of £2,300.

Television: Licensing

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many convictions there have been of residents of Birmingham Sparkbrook and Small Heath constituency for non-payment of a television licence in the last three years.

Si�n Simon: The number of defendants found guilty of television licence evasion across the West Midlands police force area from 2005 to 2007 has been provided by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and is given in the table:
	
		
			   2005( 1)  2006( 1)  2007( 2) 
			 West Midlands 10,513 10,024 10,950 
			 (1)As well as television licence evasion, these data include proceedings for summary offences under the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1949 to 1967.  (2)These figures relate to the offence of television licence evasion under the Communications Act 2003.   Note:  1. The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.  2. Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.   Source:  Ministry of Justice. 
		
	
	Data regarding court proceedings is not available at parliamentary constituency level. Therefore data has been given in the table for the West Midlands police force area.
	The MoJ advise that data regarding court proceedings for 2008 is planned for publication on 28 January 2010.

Tourism: Torbay

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much funding has been made available for tourism regeneration projects in Torbay constituency in the last five years.

Margaret Hodge: The information requested is not held by my Department and relates to matters that are the responsibility of the South West Regional Development Agency (RDA), which leads on regional regeneration and development work.
	Accordingly, I have asked the chief executive of the South West RDA to write direct to the hon. Member for Torbay.
	Copies of the reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Visits Abroad: Olympic Games

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many members of staff from each of his Department's non-departmental public bodies are planning to attend the Winter Olympics in Vancouver; and at what cost for each such body.

Gerry Sutcliffe: To provide the information requested from all of our non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) would incur disproportionate cost. We have, however, been advised by the following NDPBs that they are planning to send staff to the Winter Olympics in Vancouver at the following costs:
	
		
			  Public body  Number of staff members  Cost for each body (£) 
			 UK Sport 3 21,824.84 
			 UK Anti Doping in Sport 2 (1)- 
			 VisitBritain 3 (2)7,500.00 
			 Olympic Delivery Authority 2 7,726.90 
			 Arts Council England 1 735.00 
			 (1)All costs covered by the World Anti Doping Agency.  (2 )Estimated. 
		
	
	UK Sport has advised that three members of their organisation will be attending the Winter Olympics in Vancouver at a cost of £21,824.84.
	UK Anti Doping (UKAD) have advised that they will be sending two representatives; one as part of the World Anti Doping Agency's (WADA) Independent Observer programme, and one as part of WADA's Athlete Outreach programme. All costs for UKAD will be covered by WADA.
	The Olympic Delivery Authority has advised that two members of staff are on the observer programme for the Games in Vancouver. The cost for accommodation and travel comes to £7,726.90.
	VisitBritain advise that three members of staff will be attending Vancouver as part of observer programme at an estimated cost of £2,500 per person.
	Arts Council England (ACE) has advised that they are sending one member of staff to Vancouver at a cost of £735.00 for the flight. The staff member will also be representing other bodies at the Games. These bodies will cover the remaining costs of the trip.

Accidents: Snow and Ice

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of people injured in accidents attributable to adverse weather conditions in January 2010; and what estimate he has made of the cost to the national health service of treating such people in  (a) Leicester and  (b) the East Midlands.

Mike O'Brien: This is a matter for the local national health service. The NHS, as part of its planning process, ensures operational challenges, such as adverse weather are factored into local contingency plans, including the cost of treating patients.

Carers: Chesterfield

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people resident in Chesterfield constituency  (a) under 18 and  (b) over 60 years old were registered as carers in each of the last five years.

Phil Hope: Carers may register with a range of organisations for different purposes-there is no single register as such.
	The NHS Information Centre for health and social care does not collect the number of registered carers, nor is local or national data on the number of children under the age of 18 years with caring responsibilities collected centrally.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to page 48 of his Department's Annual Report 2009, if he will provide details of the  (a) central strategic health authority allocation,  (b) centrally managed funds,  (c) research and development,  (d) Department for Health administration,  (e) technical,  (f) other central and  (g) contingency dispositions; and how much has not yet been allocated in each case.

Mike O'Brien: The requested further detailed information is supplied as follows. It should be noted that due to the timing of publication of the departmental report 2009, the chart on page 48 of the departmental report was constructed based on information from plans at January 2009. By the start of 2009-10 financial year all funding had been allocated.
	
		
			  Central strategic health authority allocations 
			  Expenditure type  Total (£000) 
			 Allocations to Specific Programmes 830,452 
			 Allocations to Services 125,602 
			 Allocations to Hosted Programmes 344,409 
			 Total 1,300,460 
		
	
	The make up of the £9.7 billion of centrally managed funds is shown in the chart on page 48 of the departmental report (in the linked boxes).
	Planned research and development expenditure was set at £900 million.
	Department of Health administration are fully set out in figure B.3 of page 233 of the departmental report 2009.
	
		
			  Technical 
			  Budget name  Total (£ million) 
			 Trust Debt Remuneration -1,185 
			 Trust Cost of Capital 1,266 
			 DEL Impairments 50 
			 Total 131 
		
	
	
		
			  Other central 
			  Budget name  Total (£ million) 
			 Directorate-General Managed Budgets 1,686 
			 End Year Flexibility Funding and Transfers 38 
			 Non-Cash Central Programmes 24 
			 Total 1,748 
		
	
	All contingency funds were allocated by the start of 2009-10.

Health Services: Isle of Man

Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the outcome was of his recent discussions with a delegation from the Isle of Man government on reciprocal health arrangements; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State had a positive meeting with a delegation from the Isle of Man on 19 January 2010. The meeting helped reaffirm the strength of the ties with the Isle of Man and provided a useful insight into how the termination of the reciprocal agreement was perceived there. It was confirmed to the Chief Minister that the agreement will come to an end on 31 March 2010. Both Governments have committed to review the situation for any possible negative consequences or unforeseen impacts. It was also agreed to work in close partnership with the Isle of Man Government to ensure the practical effects of the termination are communicated clearly to all those affected.

Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Inquiry

William Cash: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place in the Library at the earliest opportunity a copy of the report of the inquiry into Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust commissioned by his Department and chaired by Robert Francis, QC.

Mike O'Brien: Yes. The Inquiry is due to report within the next few weeks. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State intends to place a copy in the Library in due course.

Non-profit Making Associations: Finance

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what  (a) financial and  (b) other assistance his Department is providing to the social enterprise Your Health proposed by Kingston's Primary Care Trust; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Hope: Your Health has received £30,000 from the Right to Request First Wave monies that was granted to London strategic health authority in November 2009. A commitment of £619,000 has been made from the Social Enterprise Investment Fund to Your Health, which they intend to draw down over the next few weeks.
	Your Health has received general support from the Department, alongside others considering social enterprise, in the form of attendance at peer supported learning events.

Nutrition

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent reports he has received from  (a) professional,  (b) campaigning and  (c) other public health organisations on the effects on coronary health of artificial trans fats; and if he will bring forward proposals to ban the sale of products containing artificial trans fats in light of the most recent evidence on those effects.

Gillian Merron: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) carried out a comprehensive review of the health impacts of trans fats in 2007, and reported that voluntary action taken by the food industry to reduce the levels of trans fats in foods in the United Kingdom has been successful in achieving the reduction in dietary intakes to 1 per cent. of food energy. As part of this review the Government's Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) examined the evidence regarding the health effects of trans fat, including coronary heart disease (CHD). The SACN review concluded trans fat from partially hydrogenated oils has a moderate impact on increasing the risk of CHD and recommended that trans fats should contribute no more than 2 per cent. of food energy.
	The FSA is aware that the World Health Organisation (WHO) published a scientific update on trans fats in 2009. This reviewed evidence since the 1993 joint Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations/WHO Expert Consultation on Fats and Oils in Human Nutrition, including the effects of trans fat consumption on CHD. The WHO conclusions are consistent with the SACN position statement.
	The Government note the reports by the Faculty of Public Health and the Royal Society for Public Health regarding the banning of artificial trans fats from foods. However, given the reduction in levels of trans fat in the UK and that no new evidence has come to light since the 2007 SACN position statement, the UK Government believe that legislation would be unlikely to deliver any further health benefit.
	The FSA continues to monitor the intakes of trans fats and encourages the food industry to eliminate them.

Prescription Drugs

Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what research his Department undertook for the purposes of its consultation and impact assessment on automatic generic substitution in respect of assessment of the  (a) effect on incentives for investments in research and development,  (b) the potential health impacts on patients and  (c) the one-off costs, ongoing costs and potential savings; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what steps his Department plans to take to ensure that patients continue to receive the most appropriate treatment under its preferred approach in the proposal for automatic generic substitution of medicines; what role the quarterly reviewed select list will play in this process; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  whether his Department consulted the National Patient Safety Agency during its discussions on proposals to introduce automatic generic substitution of medicines.

Mike O'Brien: In developing the proposals and analysis set out in the consultation document The proposals to implement 'Generic Substitution' in primary care, further to the Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme (PPRS) 2009 and its associated partial impact assessment, published on 5 January 2010, the Department was informed by input from stakeholders supported by published literature and in-house modelling.
	The Department recognises that further evidence may be available, which is why we are holding a full public consultation, to which all those with an interest can input, including patients. We are also holding a number of consultation events (through NHS Primary Care Commissioning). The National Patient Safety Agency's views were not specifically sought before publishing the consultation document.
	Under the Department's preferred approach (option 3), there are two mechanisms for ensuring that patients continue to receive the most appropriate treatment. Firstly, the creation of a select list will clearly define those drugs falling within the scope of the generic substitution arrangements. This list has been drawn up to include those medicines that deliver the most savings and excludes drugs where there are any general, clinical or patient safety concerns with regard to interchange between different manufacturer's products. Secondly, preservers' clinical autonomy to tailor prescribing to their individual patients' clinical needs will be maintained. Where a prescriber judges that there is a clinical need, a mechanism will be in place to ensure that patients can continue to receive a specific manufacturer's product.
	The consultation document and partial impact assessment can be found on the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/consultations/index.htm
	Copies have been placed in the Library. Details of the consultation events will be published on the NHS Primary Care Commissioning website at:
	www.pcc.nhs.uk/events

Snow and Ice

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the costs to his Department arising from the severe weather conditions in the period 4 January to 18 January 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: This is a matter for the local national health service. The NHS, as part of its planning process, ensures operational challenges, such as adverse weather are factored into local contingency plans, including the cost of treating patients.

Swine Flu: Vaccination

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 15 December 2009,  Official Report, column 1059W, on swine influenza: disease control, what consideration he has given to the merits of  (a) using the NHS number alone to track take-up of the vaccine and  (b) requiring only monthly totals of vaccinations administered by each GP or practice to be submitted.

Gillian Merron: The Department's policy is to collect only anonymised statistical data for swine influenza vaccine uptake and therefore no individual patient identifiable data are collected as part of this vaccine uptake data collection. Using national health service numbers would have been inconsistent with this policy.
	The Department only requires swine influenza vaccine uptake data from all general practices on a monthly basis. The weekly vaccine uptake figures are based on an automated extraction of data from about 40 per cent, of general practitioner practices. This data extraction places no burden on these practices.

Liquefied Petroleum Gas: Distribution

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if his Department will take further steps to ensure more efficient delivery of liquefied petroleum gas to customers whose supplies have been affected by the recent severe weather.

David Kidney: The distributors of liquid petroleum gas (LPG) have been working hard in challenging conditions to supply customers during the worst cold weather experienced for 29 years, particularly in remote parts of the country. My officials have worked closely with the LPG industry to make a robust case for the temporary relaxation of the enforcement of EU drivers' hours and working-time rules. Relaxing drivers' hours is very much a 'last-resort' option that can only be considered once all else has failed and once contingency plans have been fully implemented. I welcome the decision made by the Transport Minister to agree to the cases for the temporary relaxation given to LPG drivers over two weeklong periods between 11 and 25 January. The Department will continue to work with fuel distributors in relation to resilience of supply chains.

Nuclear Decommissioning Authority: Finance

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the reason for the cost of the finance function of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority referred to in the publication Benchmarking the Back Office: Central Government; and if he will make a statement.

David Kidney: The finance data on NDA in the Benchmarking the Back Office publication reflects the cost of the NDA's head office finance function as a percentage of the total running cost of NDA head office. However, the role of NDA's head office finance function is not limited to managing the budget of its head office; rather it extends to managing the total budget of NDA's entire estate. Benchmarked against the total expenditure of the authority for 2008-09 of some £2.7 billion in 2008-09 the cost of the finance function represents only 0.1 per cent. of NDA expenditure.

Renewable Energy

William Cash: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what progress he has made on the Government's commitment to raise the perception of energy demand from renewable sources to 15 per cent. by 2020; what assessment he has made of the contribution of the offshore wind turbines to be developed under Round 3 to this target; and if he will make a statement.

David Kidney: Good progress is being made in meeting our target. In 2008, the UK generated 2.25 per cent. of its energy (electricity, heat and transport) from renewable sources, up from 1.8 per cent. in 2007 and 1.5 per cent. in 2006.
	In 2008, electricity from renewable sources grew by 10 per cent. with offshore wind generation growing by a massive 67 per cent. and onshore wind by 29 per cent.. Plant biomass grew by 39 per cent. over the same period.
	It looks like the healthy progress in renewable electricity will continue. By the end of 2009:
	7.5GW of renewable generation from a variety of sources was already in operation;
	nearly 3GW more is under construction;
	another 8.5GW has planning permission and is awaiting construction; and
	over 10GW of future projects are going through the planning process.
	In terms of the contribution of offshore wind under Round 3 to meeting this target, The Crown Estate has awarded Zone Development Agreements for the construction of up to 32GW of offshore wind by 2020. This figure represents potential; actual delivery will depend on a range of factors including the outcome of planning applications by the developers.

Law Officers' Departments: Public Appointments

Francis Maude: To ask the Solicitor-General which of the public appointments for which the Law Officers' Departments are responsible are due to be  (a) renewed and  (b) filled in the next 24 months; what the (i) remit, (ii) salary, (iii) political restrictions, (iv) eligibility requirements and (v) timetable for each such appointment is; and what records the Law Officers' Departments keep in respect of such appointments.

Vera Baird: We are currently recruiting for the only public appointment within the Law Officers' Department, the post of Chief Inspector of HM Crown Prosecution Service, which we are hoping to fill in April 2010.
	 (i) The remit of the role is:
	To lead and develop an independent, robust, creative and innovative Inspectorate whose work enhances public confidence in prosecution services.
	To enable the Inspectorate to respond to changes in the criminal justice landscape and help raise the overall standard of prosecutorial practice and prosecution service delivery.
	To lead the identification of strategic thematic areas for improvement and offer inspected organisations advice and support on key areas for development.
	To work with and engage a wide range of key stakeholders across the wider criminal justice arena to improve the overall quality and standards of prosecution and delivery of increasingly effective and efficient prosecution services to the public.
	To increase public awareness of prosecution services, and enhance the brand and reputation of both the Inspectorate and the prosecution services.
	To deliver geographical and joint thematic Inspections working with other key inspectorates to improve consistency of standards and the sharing of best practice.
	 (ii) The salary for the role is £150,000.
	 (iii) The appointee may not occupy paid party political posts or hold particularly sensitive or high roles in a political party. Subject to the foregoing, the appointee is free to engage in political activities provided that they are conscious of their general public responsibilities and exercise a proper discretion, particularly with regard to the work of the Inspectorate.
	 (iv) There are no specific eligibility requirements although the candidates were assessed against a range of skills and experience such as a strong understanding of the Criminal Justice System and a track record of successfully driving organisational improvement.
	 (v) The selection process for this appointment is well underway. The preferred candidate appeared before the Justice Committee on 12 January 2010. The Committee's report is awaited. Once received the Attorney-General will consider the report before making any appointment.
	The Attorney-General's Office holds records on all aspects of the selection process for this appointment.

Law Officers' Departments: Public Appointments

Francis Maude: To ask the Solicitor-General what public appointments are made by  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials in the Law Officers' Departments.

Vera Baird: The information requested is as follows:
	 (a) The Attorney-General is responsible for the appointment of the Chief Inspector of Her Majesty's Crown Prosecution Inspectorate (HMCPSI).
	 (b) No Public appointments are currently made by officials in the Law Officers' Departments.

Departmental Co-ordination

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what contribution his Department is making to the Ministry of Justice's proposed accommodation relocation and nationalisation project.

Rosie Winterton: Communities and Local Government was formally consulted, as lead Department on regeneration, as to how any Ministry of Justice relocation could address regeneration needs and issues. This included contributing policy advice and expertise on appropriate analytical sources and techniques to help establish criteria against which any relocation could be measured, including where Ministry of Justice could consider siting any national activities.

Energy Efficiency

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will discuss with his US counterpart the applicability to UK building stock of the report on building sector energy efficiency presented by the US administration to the Major Economies Forum in December 2009.

Ian Austin: We are always keen to learn from the experience of other nations in improving the energy efficiency of buildings but I have no plans to discuss this report with colleagues in the US Administration.

Housing: Construction

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government by what means the contents of the written ministerial statement of 19 January 2010,  Official Report, columns 6-7WS, on planning, appeared in  The Daily Telegraph on the morning of 19 January 2010; and who authorised the provision of the information to the Daily Telegraph.

John Healey: No journalist had sight or copy of my written ministerial statement of 19 January 2010,  Official Report, columns 6-7WS, on planning before it was laid in the House.

Housing: Leaseback Arrangements

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what figures his Department and its agencies hold on sale and rent back transactions of domestic properties;
	(2)  how many sale and rent bank transactions of domestic properties there were in each of the last five years.

Ian Austin: Data on sale and rent back transactions is not held by this Department. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Member for Portsmouth, North (Sarah McCarthy-Fry) on 20 January 2010,  Official Report, column 391W.

Housing: Standards

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homes have received Level 6 Code for Sustainable Homes certification.  [Official Report, 28 January 2010, Vol. 504, c. 7-8MC.]

Ian Austin: Level 6 of the Code for Sustainable Homes (the Code) is a zero carbon home with very high sustainability standards and is an incredibly high standard to build to. However, we now have a growing number of homes been built to this higher level of the Code.
	It takes between 18 months and two years to design and build a Code home. The Code came into operation in April 2007, but we did not start seeing homes built to the Code standard until late 2008. The number of Code homes are increasing every month. At the end of December 2009, there were a total of 2,434 homes with Code certificates spread across all Code levels at post-construction stage (i.e. completed Code homes), 10,319 at design stage and over 300,000 registered homes on over 3,000 developments. Most of these homes are built to Code level 3-which represents for energy a 25 per cent. improvement on the current building regulations and is a demanding building standard. Homes funded by the Homes and Communities Agency are required to meet Code level 3 standard.
	There are two stages in the assessment process for the Code and 110 homes have been certified.

Natural Gas: Storage

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what representations he has received on the recent decision by Lancashire county council to refuse planning permission for a proposed facility for further gas storage capability in that area.

Ian Austin: I understand that there have been no recent decisions made by Lancashire county council in respect of planning applications for gas storage. However a planning application was made by Canatxx Gas Storage Ltd. for the creation of an underground gas storage facility in Preesall, Wyre, on 20 February 2009, and it is expected to be determined by the county council on 27 January 2010.
	To date, no representations have been received by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government in respect of this planning application.
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/localgovernment /nndrrevaluation2010
	The five-yearly business rates revaluations make sure each business pays its fair contribution and no more by ensuring the share of the national rates bill paid by any one business reflects changes over time in the value of their property relative to others. The 2010 revaluation will not raise a single extra penny for Government.
	Over a million properties will see their business rate liabilities come down as a result of revaluation. The Government intend to put in place a £2 billion relief scheme to limit the impact on the minority with bill increases, which in 2010-11 will ensure no business property sees its rates bill increase by more than 11 per cent. as a result of the revaluation, with maximum increases capped at just 3.5 per cent. for small properties. That is on top of the wider support available to help ease business pressures including discounted rate bills for small businesses and deferring tax payments.

Non-Domestic Rates: Ports

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many port companies newly assessed for business rates  (a) have and  (b) have not accepted the option of paying retrospective rates over an eight year period; and how many have paid their new annual assessment to date.

Barbara Follett: The review of ports by the Valuation Office Agency is being held to ensure that all individual business properties within and outside the port area are rated fairly in order that the burden of contributions to the funding of local government services is shared fairly between businesses around the country.
	The Government have listened to the concerns of businesses with significant and unexpected backdated bills, including some within the ports. They have legislated to allow such bills to be repaid over an unprecedented eight years rather than in one single instalment thus helping affected businesses to manage the impact on their cash flows during the downturn by reducing the amount they are required to pay now by 87 per cent.
	As at 23 December 2009, the Valuation Office Agency reports that there are 723 newly assessed properties within ports liable for backdated rates. As at 8 October 2009, local authorities reports that ratepayers occupying 200 properties within ports have been granted a schedule of payments agreement.
	Of the remaining properties, local authorities report that 221 have fully discharged their backdated liability.
	We do not hold information on how many of these are up to date on current rate bills.

Non-Domestic Rates: Valuation

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Meriden of 16 December 2009,  Official Report, column 1298W, on non-domestic rates, which 50 hereditaments in  (a) the North West,  (b) the North East,  (c) the East Midlands,  (d) the West Midlands,  (e) the South West and  (f) the East of England have the greatest percentage increase in rateable values from the 2005 rating list to the draft 2010 rating list; what the rateable value was (i) before and (ii) after revaluation in each case; and what the (A) postcode and (B) local billing authority of each hereditament is.

Barbara Follett: The tables showing the rateable value in the 2005 and the 2010 Rating Lists and postcode for the 50 individual hereditaments that had the biggest percentage increase between the two lists as at 2 November 2009, for the following Government office regions: the North West, the North East, East Midlands, West Midlands, the South West and the East of England have been placed in the Library. These data are consistent with the statistical release titled: Non-domestic rateable values: 2010 Local Ratings Lists-England and Wales, published on 18 December 2009. A copy of the statistical release is available at the following link:
	http://www.voa.gov.uk/publications/statistical_releases/VOA _Statistics_Release_Final.pdf
	The rateable values have been rounded to the nearest thousand.
	The five-yearly business rates revaluations make sure each business pays its fair contribution and no more by ensuring the share of the national rates bill paid by any one business reflects changes over time in the value of their property relative to others. The 2010 revaluation will not raise a single extra penny for Government.
	Over a million properties will see their business rate liabilities come down as a result of revaluation. The Government intend to put in place a £2 billion relief scheme to limit the impact on the minority with bill increases, which in 2010-11 will ensure no business property sees its rates bill increase by more than 11 per cent. as a result of the revaluation, with maximum increases capped at just 3.5 per cent. for small properties. That is on top of the wider support available to help ease business pressures including discounted rate bills for small businesses and deferring tax payments.

Action for Employment

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many hours of training A4e staff working on contracts let by her Department undertake annually.

Jim Knight: Staff training is an internal matter for A4E and therefore not one that the Secretary of State can offer information about, or comment on.

Departmental Waste

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what volume of waste her Department and its predecessors generated in each of the last three years; what percentage of this was  (a) paper,  (b) plastic,  (c) glass,  (d) metal,  (e) electrical goods and batteries and (f) food waste; and what percentage of her Department's waste was (i) disposed of securely, (ii) disposed of in landfill and (iii) recycled.

Jonathan R Shaw: General office waste is managed for the Department for Work and Pensions by its PFI estate partner Telereal Trillium. Our largest waste stream is paper, and so efforts have been concentrated on increasing recycling of this paper across the whole estate. There is little scope for nation wide schemes to recycle further waste streams as the volumes generated in individual offices are too small to make a national system to segregate and recycle plastic, glass, metal or batteries either environmentally or economically viable. There are local schemes in operation run by Telereal Trillium or employees, but due to the administrative difficulties created by their small scale and informal nature, data is not collected.
	Minimal food waste is generated within sites as the majority of food preparation is done off site, with ready to serve products delivered. Data on food waste has only been collected since last financial year and is detailed in the following table:
	
		
			  Food Waste 
			   Kgs 
			 2008-09 39,755 
			 2009-10 51,489 
		
	
	This is either disposed by way of maceration to the foul sewer or within the general waste stream and is included within the landfill figures.
	Electrical and electronic equipment remains the property of our private sector partners, who manage and control the waste disposal. While duty of care is assured, we do not routinely collect management information on the volumes involved as it is not, strictly and legally, our waste.
	Clean paper and cardboard waste is segregated and recycled securely, by cross shedding and pulping. All remaining office waste, often resulting from food and drink bought in by our employees, is disposed of to landfill. The following table provides information on the volumes of general office waste generated over the last three years:-
	
		
			   Total waste volume (tonnes)  Recycled securely (paper/card) (%)  Disposed landfill (%) 
			 2006-07 22,323 67 33 
			 2007-08 20,343 64 36 
			 2008-09 19,514 66 34

Employment and Support Allowance

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the answer of 26 October 2009,  Official Report, columns 151-52W, on employment and support allowance, what information her Department holds on the reasons for which claimants of employment and support allowance stopped claiming before their assessment was completed; and if she will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 21 January 2010
	The Information is not available.

Pensioners: Crisis Loans

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 9 December 2009,  Official Report, column 408W, on crisis loans, how many and what proportion of crisis loan alignment payments were made to pensioners in the same quarter; and if she will make a statement.

Helen Goodman: The available information is given in the table.
	
		
			  Alignment payment final awards in Great Britain by quarter for people in the pensioner client group 
			  Quarter  Number  Proportion of total crisis loan alignment final awards (percentages) 
			 January to March 2007 550 0.4 
			 April to June 2007 550 0.4 
			 July to September 2007 490 0.3 
			 October to December 2007 460 0.3 
			 January to March 2008 480 0.3 
			 April to June 2008 650 0.3 
			 July to September 2008 680 0.3 
			 October to December 2008 590 0.3 
			 January to March 2009 720 0.3 
			  Notes:  1. The information provided is management information. The preference is to answer all parliamentary questions using official/National Statistics but in this case only management information is available. It is not quality assured to the same extent as official/National Statistics and there are some issues with the data, for example, it does not include applications which were processed clerically and have not yet been entered on to the Social Fund computer system.  2. The alignment payment classification is based on the reason for the application, as opposed to the purpose of the award, which may be different.  3. Awards are final awards and include awards made on review (but only one award is counted for each application which is successful either initially and/or on review).  4. Numbers of alignment payment final awards have been rounded to the nearest 10.  Source:  DWP scans of the Social Fund Computer System.

Pensions: Temporary Employment

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment her Department made of the effects on competition in the temporary and agency work sector of the four-year staging period for implementation of the Pensions Act 2008.

Angela Eagle: The challenge of implementing these reforms is unprecedented with over a million employers and over 10 million people affected.
	In order to deliver the workplace pension reforms successfully, we are intending to stage in the new employer duties over a four year period, starting with large employers, medium and then small.
	Inevitably, staging of employers by size, including the temporary and agency sector, can affect the ability of all employers to compete with each other in the short-term as some employers will face the cost of administering the reforms and contributing to their employees' pensions sooner than employers staged later.
	We considered a number of approaches to staging, including segmenting employers by random selection, by industry type or by geographical region. We believe that staging by size offers the best balance of maximising deliverability while minimising employer burdens and competition impacts.
	We believe that any impacts on competition will be short-term and outweighed by the overall positive benefits of our approach.
	To further minimise competition issues we are also ensuring that employers will be required to contribute 1 per cent. of qualifying earnings throughout the staging period, before all employers move, at the same time, to 2 per cent. contributions, then 3 per cent.

Social Security Benefits: Autism

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps her Department is taking to assist people with autism to obtain support available to them through the benefits system.

Jonathan R Shaw: Jobcentre Plus Advisers support autistic people who are seeking employment, and in their applications for benefits. Where the customer has more complex support needs they can be referred to a disability employment adviser, who will have received further levels of skills training appropriate to their customers, including skills practice in interviewing an autistic person. Disability employment advisers can also advise on suitable employment opportunities, approach employers on behalf of customers and arrange for further help to be provided by a work psychologist.
	Jobcentre Plus have a number of specialist programmes such as Work Preparation, Residential Training and WORKSTEP (a programme of supported employment) that can help autistic people move into paid work.
	The Work Choice programme will be introduced in October 2010 to replace WORKSTEP and Work Preparation. The new programme will be more flexible to respond to the individual needs of disabled people and their employers. It will be aimed specifically at customers who, by reason of significant disability, cannot be helped by Jobcentre Plus mainstream programmes.
	Autistic people going into paid work may be able to get support from Access to Work, which can provide practical advice and support to disabled people and their employers to help them overcome work related obstacles resulting from disability. It does this through a system of grants towards the cost of providing support, such as a job coach, to settle an autistic customer into work. Access to Work can also support autistic customers by paying for the customer's colleagues to receive awareness training on autism.

Social Security Benefits: Debts

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the 10 largest benefit debts owed to her Department by individuals were at the latest date for which figures are available; and to which principal benefit the debts related in each such case.

Helen Goodman: holding answer 14 January 2010
	From October 2009 we have set up a special task force to address debtors who owe the Department over £10,000. This will include debtors who have more than one debt.
	Since its inception, the task force has recovered an additional £1.2 million between mid October 2009 and the early January 2010 from the high value debtors.
	Since 2005-06, the Department has increased recoveries from £180 million per year to over £280 million.
	We try and stop overpayments occurring in the first place. The Department's error reduction strategy will help to achieve this. It is based on preventing new error from entering the system; ensuring that customers and staff comply with benefit rules and identifying and correcting existing errors.
	The 10 largest debts owed to the Department are as follows. These all relate to income support.
	£136,567.94
	£111,529.90
	£105,028.81
	£103,823.07
	£101,430.23
	£99,105.49
	£98,689.61
	£98,149.32
	£96,657.81
	£95,531.98.

State Retirement Pensions: Payments

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many state pension payments were delayed in each month of 2009; what the monetary value of such payments was in each such month; and for what reasons a state pension payment may be delayed.

Angela Eagle: The information on numbers and values of delayed state pension payments is not available.
	Delays in making a payment of benefit may be occasioned by all manor of factors including, but not limited to, customers failing to provide necessary evidence, volumes of work, inadvertent error or oversight and, delays in the banking or postal system. The PDCS do their utmost to ensure that any delays caused by factors within their control are kept to a minimum.
	PDCS performance against clearance times are demonstrated in the following table:
	
		
			  State pension clearance times 
			  Target 2008-09 and 2009-10, to clear 95 per cent. of new claims for state pension within 60 days 
			  2009  Percentage 
			 January 97.66 
			 February 98.06 
			 March 98.26 
			 April 97.55 
			 May 97.85 
			 June 97.51 
			 July 97.51 
			 August 98.00 
			 September 98.26 
			 October 98.72 
			 November 98.98 
			 December 98.75 
			  Source: Pension Service Legacy System.

Work Capability Assessment

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many medical assessments were carried out in respect of claims for  (a) incapacity benefit and  (b) employment and support allowance in (i) the UK, (ii) England and (iii) Milton Keynes in each of the last five years; and what proportion of those assessed were deemed eligible for those benefits on (A) initial assessment and (B) appeal.

Jonathan R Shaw: Information on the number of medical assessments completed is not available for Milton Keynes. Additionally, the DWP is not responsible for the administration of incapacity benefit and employment and support allowance in Northern Ireland. Information is available for Great Britain and England. This is provided in the following tables.
	
		
			  Total number of incapacity benefit scrutiny and completed examinations 
			   GB  England 
			 September 2005 to August 2006 816,043 653,704 
			 September 2006 to August 2007 985,598 789,899 
			 September 2007 to August 2008 1,068,920 857,992 
			 September 2008 to August 2009 717,250 507,748 
			 September 2009 to December 2009 140,423 106,006 
			  Source: DWP medical services contract management information 
		
	
	
		
			  Total number of employment and support allowance scrutiny and completed examinations 
			   September 2008 to August 2009  September 2009 to December 2009 
			 GB 197,073 142,757 
			 England 158,024 117,541 
			  Notes: 1. Management information held by the Department does not separately identify PCA assessments in respect of initial claims to benefit, as all referrals were in respect of customers in receipt of incapacity benefit. 2. Excludes work focused health related assessments. 3. Data relate to the number of completed medical examinations and paper scrutiny clearances completed by Atos Healthcare.  Source: DWP medical services contract management information 
		
	
	Information on the number of initial awards following these referrals is not available.
	Data on appeals relating to IB claims are not held centrally. Detailed information relating to the work capability assessment for employment support allowance claims in Great Britain was published in October 2009 and is available at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/esa_wca/esa_wca_arc.asp
	A copy of the publication is available in the Library and details the number of initial assessments carried out since the introduction of employment and support allowance, a breakdown of the result of the assessment, including the fit for work decision and separate information relating to work capability assessment appeals.
	Data relating specifically to work capability assessment appeals is reproduced in the table:
	
		
			  Work capability assessment appeals heard on 'fit for work' decisions-data to end of August 2009 
			   Number 
			 Appeals heard 4,900 
			 DWP decision upheld 3,300 
			 Decision in favour of appellant 1,500 
			  Notes: 1. Includes clerical assessments, we can infer that an appeal that links to a clerical assessment was very likely to be against a 'fit for work' decision. 2. Due to the time it takes for appeals to be submitted to Tribunal Service and heard, a limited volume of appeals heard data are held currently. Volumes will increase in the coming months as more appeals are processed giving a more robust picture of appeal volumes and outcomes. It will then be possible to link this information to the WCA data and provide information on proportions appealing. 3. Figures rounded to the nearest 100.

Nigeria

Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will meet representatives of relevant non-governmental organisations and representatives of the government of Nigeria to discuss child witchcraft stigmatisation and abandonment in that country.

Ivan Lewis: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary currently has no plans to meet representatives of relevant non-governmental organisations and representatives of the Government of Nigeria concerning child witchcraft stigmatism and abandonment in that country.
	However, our high commissioner in Abuja is in contact with the Governor of Akwa Ibom State which has been the focus of that problem. Our high commission has also sponsored a public enlightenment campaign in Akwa Ibom State and the work of a shelter that provides refuge and rehabilitation for victims.
	We will continue to raise any human rights concerns we have in Nigeria with the Government of Nigeria, at all levels.

Government Departments: Procurement

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which Government departments and agencies have participated in electronic auctions facilitated by  (a) the Office of Government Commerce and  (b) OGC.buyingsolutions in the last 12 months.

Ian Pearson: In the 12 months period between 1 January to 31 December 2009 the Office of Government Commerce has facilitated two electronic auctions which have involved the following Government Departments and related agencies:
	HM Treasury
	Department for Transport
	London Development Agency
	In addition, 66 bodies for the wider public sector participated including local government, police forces and health bodies. These two e-auctions had a combined value of £75 million going into the auction and generated savings of £16.55 million.
	The following Government Departments and Agencies have participated in electronic auctions facilitated by Buying Solutions (formerly OGCbuying.solutions) in the same 12 month period:
	Department for Communities and Local Government
	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	In addition, 32 bodies from the wider public sector also participated. The e-auctions facilitated by Buying Solutions had a combined value of £248.7 million going into the auction, and generated savings of £47.9 million

Mortgages: Repossession Orders

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many tenanted properties were repossessed by mortgage lenders from landlord owners in  (a) England and  (b) Coventry between 2005 and 2009; what assistance his Department provides to tenants who are evicted as a result of such repossessions; and what recent representations his Department has received on the matter.

Ian Austin: I have been asked to reply.
	The issue of tenants being evicted at short notice as a result of landlord repossession was raised with the Department in early 2009. Representations were received from the Council of Mortgage Lenders, Shelter, Crisis, Citizens Advice and the Chartered Institute of Housing. The problem of short notice eviction of tenants is due to a legal gap in protection.
	Tenants who receive notice that their landlord is to be repossessed by their lender should make themselves known to the lender as soon as possible in order that the lender can take them into account.
	In August 2009 the Government issued a consultation document-Lender repossession of residential property: protection of tenants. As a result of this consultation the Government are supporting a Private Members Bill being taken forward by Dr. Brian Iddon. Second reading of the Mortgage Repossessions (Protection of Tenants etc) Bill is to take place on 29 January. The Bill gives tenants the opportunity to request a delay to possession while they find alternative accommodation. The Bill was published on 22 January. The associated Impact Assessment was also made available on this date. The Impact Assessment makes some estimates of the numbers of tenants who have suffered short notice eviction as a result of landlord repossession.
	There are two independent sources of data on actual numbers of mortgage possessions: The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) and the Financial Services Authority (FSA). However both are only available for the United Kingdom as a whole.
	The Council of Mortgage Lenders latest press release on repossessions is on their website at:
	http://www.cml.org.uk/cml/media/press/2456
	The Financial Services Authority data is available on their website at:
	http://www.fsa.gov.uk/pages/Doing/Regulated/Returns/IRR/statistics/

Mortgages: Repossession Orders

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of tenants who were evicted as a result of repossession of property by a mortgage lender in cases where landlords had not obtained the lender's permission to rent in the latest period for which figures are available.

Ian Austin: I have been asked to reply.
	There are two independent sources of data on actual numbers of mortgage possessions: The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) and the Financial Services Authority (FSA).
	The Council of Mortgage Lenders latest press release on repossessions is on their website at:
	http://www.cml.org.uk/cml/media/press/2456
	The Financial Services Authority data is available on their website at:
	http://www.fsa.gov.uk/pages/Doing/Regulated/Returns/IRR/statistics/
	Dr. Brian Iddon is taking forward a Private Members Bill The Protection of Tenants (Mortgage Repossessions) Bill which will have its second reading on 29 January. The associated Impact Assessment (which is available in the Library of the House) contains estimates of tenanted properties which were repossessed by lenders.

PAYE

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many income sources  (a) terminated and  (b) commenced during (i) 2006, (ii) 2007, (iii) 2008 and (iv) 2009.

Stephen Timms: The information requested is available only at disproportionate cost, as the data is not centrally held by HM Revenue and Customs' systems.

Public Expenditure

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost of preparing whole of Government accounts was in each year since 2000.

Liam Byrne: The costs of preparing whole of Government accounts is not readily available, as the information is spread and held across the approximate 1200 bodies that contribute to the account. The information could not be obtained without incurring disproportionate expense.

Revenue and Customs: Complaints

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what information his Department holds on reasons for which complaints were made to Revenue and Customs about its services in  (a) 2006,  (b) 2007,  (c) 2008 and  (d) 2009.

Stephen Timms: Since April 2007, HM Revenue and Customs has maintained a complaints database to help the Department understand why complaints are made and act to address this. Within the database, complaints are assigned to one of the following core categories: delay, staff conduct, process/system, policy/legislation, communication, misleading advice, loss/damage, mistake/error, compensation/costs claim and discrimination.
	Centrally held data is not available prior to April 2007.

Developing Countries: Schools

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to develop links between schools in the UK and in developing countries.

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) supports the Global School Partnerships programme, implemented by the British Council. This facilitates active partnerships between schools in the UK and schools in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. The programme aims to raise young people's awareness of global development issues and equip them with the skills and knowledge to become active global citizens. To date, 2000 UK schools are involved in this programme.

Gifted Children: Birmingham

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what percentage of pupils at schools in Birmingham, Sparkbrook and Small Heath constituency have been identified as gifted and talented since 2006.

Diana Johnson: The Department does not collect data about participation in gifted and talented programmes. Through the School Census schools are asked to confirm the number of gifted and talented pupils they have identified. The tables below show the number and percentage of children identified as gifted and talented in the Birmingham, Sparkbrook and Small Heath constituency in the January census between 2006, when the question was first asked, and 2009.
	2006 records include Secondary GT pupil data only. Otherwise, figures include Primary(1) and Secondary(1,)( )(2 )school data broken down by the number(3) and percentage of gifted and talented pupils.
	
		
			  Maintained primary( 1)  and state-funded secondary( 1,)( )( 2 ) schools: Number( 3)  and percentage of gifted and talented pupils as at January each year in the Birmingham, Sparkbrook and Small Heath constituency 
			   Maintained primary schools  State funded secondary schools  Primary and secondary schools 
			   Number of gifted and talented pupils  Percentage  of gifted and talented pupils  Number of gifted and talented pupils  Percentage  of gifted and talented pupils  Number of gifted and talented pupils  Percentage  of gifted and talented pupils 
			 2009 1,340 7.8 730 8.2 2060 8.2 
			 2008 1,290 7.6 680 7.6 1970 7.6 
			 2007 780 4.6 760 8.5 1540 6.0 
			 2006 - - 900 10.1 900 10.1 
			 (1) All data includes middle schools as deemed. (2) All data includes City Technology Colleges and Academies. (3) All data shows solely registered pupils only. Pupil numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10.  Source:  School Census 
		
	
	A data table showing information for all constituencies in England has been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Pupils: Absenteeism

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the average  (a) authorised,  (b) unauthorised and  (c) persistent absence rate for (i) boys and (ii) girls at Key Stage 4 was in each year since 1997.

Vernon Coaker: The available information is shown in the table.
	The first year for which information is available on absence rates by gender is 2005/06 and relates to secondary schools only. This was extended to primary and special schools in 2006/07.
	
		
			  Maintained primary, state-funded secondary and special schools( 1, 2, 3) , absence rates and persistent absentee rates( 4)  for key stage 4( 5)  pupils, 2005/06, 2006/07 and 2007/08, England 
			   Boys  Girls 
			   Authorised absence rate( 6)  unauthorised absence rate( 6)  Percentage of pupil enrolments that are persistent absentees( 4, 7)  Authorised absence rate( 6)  unauthorised absence rate( 6)  Percentage of pupil enrolments that are persistent absentees( 4, 7) 
			 2005/06(8) 7.14 2.11 9.5 7.88 2.16 10.8 
			 2006/07 6.71 2.26 9.1 7.47 2.35 10.4 
			 2007/08 6.10 2.21 7.6 6.88 2.31 9.0 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Includes maintained secondary schools, city technology colleges and academies (including all-through academies). (3) Includes maintained and non-maintained special schools. Excludes general hospital schools. (4) Persistent absentees are defined as having 64 or more sessions of absence (authorised and unauthorised) during the year, typically over 20 per cent. overall absence rate. (5) Key stage 4 pupils are pupil enrolments with national curriculum year group 10 or 11. (6) The number of sessions missed due to authorised/unauthorised expressed as a percentage of the total number of possible sessions. (7) The number of persistent absentee enrolments expressed as a percentage of the total number of enrolments with the same characteristics. (8) 2005/06 pupil level data is available for secondary school pupils only.  Source: School Census.

Pupils: Attendance

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether pupils who do not attend school because of  (a) travel difficulties and  (b) school closure in severe weather are classified as absent for the purposes of his Department's statistics.

Vernon Coaker: Where pupils are unable to attend school because of severe weather conditions their absence will be counted as an authorised absence. However, where pupils who rely on transport that is provided by the school or a local education authority to get to school are not able to do so because of severe weather conditions, then their absence is not counted in the statistics. Where a school is forced to close due to severe weather conditions the pupils absence is not counted in the statistics.
	Every lesson counts and it is right that schools should stay open during poor weather conditions where it is safe to do so. Those schools that remained open during the recent spell of poor weather should be commended for doing so.
	It is for this reason that we are asking local authorities to ensure that schools are not penalised for remaining open during the recent snow and to make it clear that we expect authorities to take any increased absences due to the poor weather into consideration when looking at school absence figures-where the head teacher is able to provide suitable evidence.
	The Pupil Registration Regulations 2006 are clear that where a school is open and pupils do not attend, their non-attendance has to be recorded whether it is due to the poor weather or for any other reason (e.g. illness, or being on holiday). While this will mean that those schools will have a higher absence rate than if they had been forced to close, head teachers should not take decisions about closing schools based on concerns about absence records. Their primary concern in such cases should be for the welfare of their pupils and staff.
	The Department are currently looking at ways that absences due to exceptional circumstances, such as the recent poor weather conditions, can be reported and monitored within the school absence data. However, we will not be able to do this for the recent snow.

Secondary Schools: Manpower

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the average staff to pupil ratio is in secondary schools in  (a) York and  (b) England.

Vernon Coaker: The following table provides the pupil to adult ratio in local authority maintained secondary schools in York local authority and England in January 2009, this is the latest information available.
	
		
			  Pupil:adult ratio in local authority maintained secondary schools, January 2009, York local authority and England 
			   Pupil:adult ratio 
			 York 11.0 
			 England 10.7 
			  Notes: 1. Excludes academies and city technology colleges. 2. The pupil to adult ratio is calculated by dividing the total full-time equivalent (FTE) number of pupils on roll in schools by the total FTE number of all teachers and support staff employed in schools, excluding administrative and clerical staff.  Source: School Census.

Antisocial Behaviour Orders: Birmingham

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people aged between 16 and 18 have  (a) been given and  (b) breached an antisocial behaviour order in Birmingham, Sparkbrook and Small Heath constituency in the last three years.

Alan Campbell: Data on the number of antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) issued, collected centrally by the Ministry of Justice are not available below Criminal Justice System (CJS) area level. A further breakdown could be ascertained only by reference to individual court files, which could be achieved only at disproportionate cost.
	Data on breaches of ASBOs collected centrally by the Ministry of Justice and held on the Court Proceedings Database only counts those occasions where the breach was proven in court to have occurred. These data are not compiled below CJS area level.

Crime: Birmingham

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many crimes were recorded  (a) in total and  (b) per capita in Birmingham, Sparkbrook and Small Heath constituency in the last three years.

Alan Campbell: Recorded crime data is not available for the Birmingham, Sparkbrook and Small Heath constituency. The available information relates to the Birmingham Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership area and is given in the following table.
	
		
			  Offences recorded by the police in Birmingham and rate per 1,000 population-2006-07 to 2008-09 
			   Number of offences  Rate per 1,000 population 
			 2006-07 119,361 12 
			 2007-08 103,527 10 
			 2008-09 95,889 9

DNA: Databases

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what proportion of recorded crimes of each type were detected using DNA profiles from the national DNA database in the latest period for which figures are available.

Alan Campbell: holding answer 11 January 2010
	The number and proportion of recorded crimes of each type detected in which a DNA match was available in 2008-09 is shown in Table 1. The figures held do not include crimes detected as a result of one-off speculative searches of the NDNAD or from comparing DNA profiles in a forensic laboratory. One off speculative searches and DNA profile comparisons are used mainly in the investigation of serious crimes such as murder and rape. Therefore the figures provided in Table 1 will under-represent the overall contribution of DNA matches to the detection of serious crimes such as murder and rape.
	It is important to note that detections are achieved through integrated criminal investigation, not through DNA alone. The source of the figures provided is the forensic performance data, which are collected from police forces by the Home Office.
	Table 1 shows:
	the number and types of crimes detected for which a DNA match was available.
	additional detections, where an offender admits further offences following a detection for which a DNA match was available.
	the total of these two types of detections (labelled 'DNA-related') as a proportion of recorded crime and as a proportion of sanction detections (the sanction detection rate in 2008-09 for total recorded crime was 28 per cent).
	The table shows that 17 per cent. of all detected domestic burglaries, 20 per cent. of all detected other burglaries (burglaries other than a dwelling e.g. commercial premises, garden sheds, etc.) and 10 per cent. of all detected thefts of vehicle were 'DNA-related'.
	It should also be noted that most recorded crimes do not have any forensic opportunities (for example, minor assault, drugs offences, theft, fraud etc.). In 2008-09, only a small proportion of recorded crimes had a crime scene examination (17 per cent.); and only 39,795 crimes yielded DNA crime scene samples of sufficient quantity and quality for profiling and loading to the NDNAD.
	The data provided are management information and have not been formally assessed for compliance with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.
	
		
			  DNA-related detections 2008-09 
			  Police forensic data-2 crime categories  Detections of crimes in which a DNA match was available ('DNA detections')  Additional detections arising from the DNA match  Total DNA-related detections ('DNA detections' and additional detections)  Recorded crime 2008-09  Total force detections 2008-09  Total DNA-related detections as proportion of recorded crime  (percentage)  Total DNA-related detections as proportion of total force detections  (percentage) 
			 All other recorded crime 1,506 1,616 3,122 1,315,079 368,595 0.2 0.8 
			 Criminal damage 2,886 896 3,782 936,729 131,442 0.4 2.9 
			 Domestic burglary 3,702 4,015 7,717 284,445 46,500 2.7 16.6 
			 Drugs offences 397 179 576 242,907 230,962 0.2 0.2 
			 Homicide(1) 70 4 74 11,248 4,583 0.7 1.6 
			 Other burglary 3,830 2,571 6,401 296,952 31,371 2.2 20.4 
			 Other sex offences 106 34 140 38,355 12,760 0.4 1.1 
			 Other violent offences 861 168 1,029 892,745 422,224 0.1 0.2 
			 Rape 168 1 169 13,133 3,411 1.3 5.0 
			 Robbery 603 148 751 80,104 16,816 0.9 4.5 
			 Theft from vehicle 2,036 3,655 5,691 444,647 42,642 1.3 13.3 
			 Theft of vehicle 1,298 1,165 2,463 147,470 24,471 1.7 10.1 
			 Unknown 144 150 294 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Total of 12 crime types 17,607 14,602 32,209 4,703,814 1,335,777 0.68 2.41 
			 (1) The forensic data homicide crime category covers the following recorded crime categories:  Murder, Manslaughter, Infanticide-648  Attempted murder-575  Intentional destruction of viable unborn child-8  Threat or conspiracy to murder-9,559  Causing death by aggravated vehicle taking etc.-31  Causing death by dangerous, careless or inconsiderate driving-427  Total 'Homicide' crimes in 2008-09-11,248  Notes: 1. A 'DNA detection' means that the crime was cleared up and a DNA match was available.  2. 'Additional detections arising from the DNA match' occur when, for example, a suspect, on being presented with DNA evidence linking him to one offence, confesses to further offences. They arise from a crime with a DNA match; and are therefore detections where a DNA match played a part in solving the crime.  3. Total 'DNA-related detections' means 'DNA detections' plus 'additional detections arising from the DNA match'.

Entry Clearances: Overseas Students

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many student visas were issued from the beginning of December 2008 to December 2009; and how many such visas were issued to students from  (a) India,  (b) Pakistan and  (c) Bangladesh.

Phil Woolas: The total number of student visas issued globally, and to applicants from  (a) India  (b) Pakistan and  (c) Bangladesh, in the period December 2008 to September 2009, are shown in the following tables. Sub-totals of student visas issued before and after the introduction of Points Based System Tier 4 (Students) on 31 March 2009 are also shown. Visa statistics for the last quarter of 2009 will be published on 25 February.
	
		
			  Student visas-Global 
			  Endorsement category  Total 
			 PBS Tier 4 180,778 
			 Student (pre-PBS Tier 4) 67,558 
			 Grand total 248,336 
		
	
	
		
			  Student visas 
			  Endorsement category  Bangladesh  India  Pakistan  Grand total 
			 PBS Tier 4 8,527 33,742 5,152 47,421 
			 Student (pre-PBS Tier 4) 2,073 11,566 3,291 16,930 
			 Grand total 10,600 45,308 8,443 64,351 
			  Note:  1. Statistics shown are from December 2008 to September 2009.  2. PBS Tier 4 started on 31 March 2009.

Entry Clearances: Overseas Students

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many representations his Department has received in the last 12 months on the issue of a two-year visa for a person to visit a spouse studying in the UK where the marriage has ended before the expiry of the visa.

Phil Woolas: Information about spouses of non-EEA nationals studying in the UK, who may have entered as a visitor and whose marriage has ended before the expiry of their visa is not recorded centrally by the UK Border Agency and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Spouses and partners of persons who have been admitted on student visas may apply to join them as a Dependent under tier 4 of the points based system. Successful applicants will be given limited leave to enter in line with the student.
	Alternatively, they may apply for entry as a visitor in which case leave to enter would be limited to a maximum period of six months. Although regular travellers may apply for a visit visa with a validity of one, two or five years, any visit during that period must still not exceed six months.
	Where a person has been admitted as the dependent spouse of a student, and the marriage subsequently ends while their leave to enter is still valid, the basis for their claim to be admitted would no longer exist and their leave to enter would stand to be curtailed.
	A person with a spouse in the UK who has been admitted as a visitor will be expected to leave before the expiry of their visa, irrespective of whether or not the marriage is subsisting.

Identity and Passport Service: Legal Costs

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 16 December 2009,  Official Report, column 1388W, on departmental legal costs, what the reasons are for the costs incurred by the Identity and Passport Service in  (a) 2007-08 and  (b) 2008-09.

Alan Johnson: The principal expenditure incurred in regard to external legal costs by the Identity and Passport Service (IPS) for financial year 2007-08 were attributable to advice and support provided in respect of the development, tendering and award of the IPS' Strategic Supplier Framework agreement.
	For financial year 2008-09 the principal expenditure incurred in regard to external legal costs were associated with the advice and support provided in respect of the award of contracts for the delivery of the National Identity Service and next generation passport design and production.

Identity Cards: Children

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether children who apply for a national identity card will have their fingerprints taken.

Meg Hillier: The Identity Cards Act sets the minimum age for the issue of fingerprint biometric identity cards at 16.

Police: Greater Manchester

Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department
	(1)  how many  (a) police officers and  (b) police civilian staff there were in Greater Manchester in (i) 1997, (ii) 2008 and (iii) 2009; and how many police community support officers there were in Greater Manchester in (A) 2008 and (B) 2009;
	(2)  how many police officers there were in Greater Manchester in each of the last 10 years.

David Hanson: The requested data are published annually in the Home Office Police Service Strength Statistical Bulletin. Recent editions are available on the Home Office Website and all past editions from the Library of the House.
	The requested data are provided in the tables for the Member's convenience.
	
		
			  Police  workforce strength  (FTE)( 1)  in Greater Manchester by  police force  as at 31 March in the given years 
			   1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003( 3)  2004( 3)  2005( 3)  2006( 3)  2007( 3)  2008( 3)  2009( 3) 
			 Officers(2) 6,922 6,949 6,810 6,795 6,909 7,217 7,343 8,042 8,041 7,959 7,887 7,931 8,124 
		
	
	
		
			  Police  workforce strength  (FTE)( 1)  in Greater Manchester by  police force  as at 31 March in the given years 
			   1997  2,008  2,009 
			 Staff(3,4) 2,612 3,534 3,861 
			 PCSO(5,6) - 773 782 
			 (1) This and other tables contain full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. Because of rounding, there may be an apparent discrepancy between totals and the sums of the constituent items. (2) Comparable strength is provided for officers (excludes those on career breaks, or maternity/paternity leave). The Police Numbers Task Force (2001) recommended that a clear presentation was made of the numbers of staff employed by police forces including those seconded into the force and those on any type of long or short term absence. These new calculations were first used in 2003, and are not comparable with data prior to March 2003. The data from 2003 onwards used here are termed comparable because they have been calculated on the old basis to allow comparison. (3) Civilian Staff have been referred to as Police Staff since March 2003. Figures exclude Traffic Wardens, Police Community Support Officers and Designated Officers (s.38). (4) Staff strength figures for 2003 onwards include those staff on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave. Therefore these figures are not comparable with those provided for other years in the table. (5) Full-time equivalent figures for PCSO's include those on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave. (6) Police community support officers were introduced in statute in 2002, therefore data is not available prior to 2002-03.

Vauxhall

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will set out, with statistical evidence relating as closely as possible to Vauxhall constituency, the effects on the constituency of changes to his Department's policies since 1997.

Alan Campbell: The Home Office has introduced a range of policies and initiatives since 1997. However, it is not always possible to quantify their effects particularly at constituency level. The available statistical information therefore relates to the London borough of Lambeth.
	In terms of police recorded crime in Lambeth, between 2002-03 and 2008-09, total recorded crime fell by 35 per cent. More specifically
	Violence against the person-down 14 per cent.
	Sexual offences-down 20 per cent.
	Robbery-down 46 per cent.
	Burglary-down 39 per cent.
	Offences against vehicles-down 56 per cent.
	Other theft offences-down 38 per cent.
	Criminal damage-down 43 per cent.
	Drug offences-up 33 per cent.
	Data prior to 2002-03 is not directly comparable because of the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. Additionally, no data at borough level is available prior to 1998-99.
	Lambeth operational command unit had 1,010 police officers as at 30 September 2009. The number of police officers has increased by 174 since 2001. Comparisons with 1997 for Lambeth are not available. There were 170 police community support officers as at 30 September 2009 while there were none in existence in 1997.
	The Crime and Disorder Act 1998 saw positive effects with the statutory duty to create a crime and disorder reduction partnership (CDRP). The CDRP has brought new ways of working in a cross cutting way with the police, council and other key stakeholders and genuine partnership working to help tackle complex issues.
	The CDRP paved the way for the Safer Neighbourhoods initiatives where there is now a dedicated police resource in each of the 21 wards in Lambeth which were not in place in 1997.
	Lambeth's CDRP and wider partnership approach has been recognised as good practice and overall crime levels continue to reduce: there was a reduction in the seven consecutive years up to 2009.
	Before 1997 there were no bespoke powers to tackle antisocial behaviour but there are now a range of powers to deal with this issue. These include antisocial behaviour orders and designated public places orders (DPPO) from the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001. Lambeth adopted a DPPO for Bishops Ward in Vauxhall in 2005 and a borough-wide controlled drinking zone is now in operation.
	In 1997, there were 40 CCTV cameras in Lambeth and since then two main schemes have been developed increasing CCTV to 966 cameras. The town centre scheme which has 133 cameras and 833 in housing estates and there are additionally Transport for London cameras.
	The south bank within the Vauxhall ward has been awarded £1.2 million for 'target hardening' activities (e.g. hydraulic bollards).

Disclosure of Information: Home Office

Francis Maude: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether her Department plans to respond to the parts of the Review of the lessons learned from the Metropolitan Police Service's investigation of Home Office leaks by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary that relate to it.

Tessa Jowell: In my answer on 28 October 2009,  Official Report, column 267, the lessons of the O'Connor and Johnston reports will be applied in full.
	We have already released the Official Information: standards of conduct and procedures which includes the adoption of the Chief Inspector's protocol for future consideration of police involvement in leak investigations. We are assessing our leak investigation capabilities and the internal guidance on the detailed handling of leak investigations is currently under review.

Government Departments: Disclosure of Information

Francis Maude: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office with reference to the answer of 11 November 2009,  Official Report, column 411W, on disclosure of information, if she will place in the Library a copy of the current edition of the document, Handling unauthorised disclosures, redacting information which could harm national security.

Tessa Jowell: Copies of the Official Information: standards of conduct and procedures have been placed in the Libraries of the House.
	Detailed internal guidance on the conduct of the investigation of leaks and procedures for use by Government Departments is also held. There are no plans for this to be published with or without redactions. Publishing details of working methods and investigative techniques would compromise the effective conduct of investigations in future.

Apprentices

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what proportion of people starting apprenticeship schemes have been from an ethnic minority background since 1997;
	(2)  what proportion of people starting apprenticeship schemes in each year since 1997 were  (a) male and  (b) female.

Kevin Brennan: Information on the number of Apprenticeship starts is published in a quarterly statistical first release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 17 December:
	http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/sfrdec09
	Supplementary table 6.1 shows Apprenticeship starts (number and percentage) by Gender and Ethnic Group. This table includes data for 2003/04 onwards, the earliest year for which comparable information is available.

Apprentices

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  how many people have dropped out of apprenticeships in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how many people started but did not complete an apprenticeship in each year since 1997.

Kevin Brennan: Table 1 shows the status of all learners participating on an apprenticeship in each academic year from 2008/09 back to 2003/04, the earliest year for which we have comparable information.
	
		
			  Table 1: Status of all apprentices participating in the academic year 
			  Apprenticeship status  2003/04  2004/05  2005/06  2006/07  2007/08  2008/09 
			 Total apprenticeship participants 400,400 411,200 403,000 388,000 418,900 444,800 
			  Of which:   
			 Continuing to subsequent year 221,900 233,400 207,800 197,300 218,700 215,800 
			 Achieved in year(1) 55,100 80,100 108,400 119,200 122,600 159,800 
			 Did not achieve/withdrew in year 120,100 90,900 78,000 61,100 62,300 62,400 
			 Transferred 3,200 6,900 8,800 10,300 15,300 6,700 
			 (1) 'Achieved in Year' figures includes some learners that only achieved the NVQ component of their apprenticeship framework. For this reason, achievement figures are higher than those published for framework achievements in the BIS Statistical First Release at: http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/sfrdec09/  Notes: 1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 100 and may not sum to totals. 2. Figures represent participation on apprenticeship frameworks. This includes starts in the academic year, and the continuation of frameworks from earlier years. 3. For earlier years, it is not possible to separate out those learners that withdrew from those learners did not achieve.  Source: WBL/ERILR 
		
	
	The above information looks at all apprentices participating in a given academic year, regardless of when they started their apprenticeship. This is different from how the apprenticeship completion rate is calculated. The completion rate is based on a cohort of learners, and measures the proportion of those learners that successfully achieve. The apprenticeship completion rate has improved significantly in recent years, increasing from 37 per cent. in 2004/05 to a record 71 per cent. in 2008/09.

Apprentices: Per Capita Costs

Annette Brooke: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much was spent per adult student participating in  (a) apprenticeships and  (b) advanced apprenticeships in the latest year for which figures are available.

Kevin Brennan: This Department allocates funding to the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) for the provision of adult (aged 19 and over) apprenticeships in England. Planned spend on adult apprenticeships for 2008-09 to 2010-11 financial years is given in the following table.
	
		
			  £000 
			  Financial year  Adult (aged 19 and over) apprenticeships 
			 2008-09 332,911 
			 2009-10 389,914 
			 2010-11 398,410 
			  Source: BIS Skills Investment Strategy 2010-11, November 2009 
		
	
	The public cost of delivering an apprenticeship varies significantly depending on the industry in which the apprenticeship framework is being delivered; whether the framework is at Level 2 or 3; and whether the participant is in the 16 to 18, 19 to 25 or 25+ age group. For example, the LSC estimate that it costs £2,749 to deliver a Level 2 adult apprenticeship framework in Supporting Teaching and Learning in Schools and £4,083 to deliver the Level 3 equivalent framework. Between industries the difference in estimated costs can be more marked. LSC estimate that the cost of delivering a Level 3 adult apprenticeship in clock and watch repair is £13,409 but the cost of an adult apprenticeship at the same level in Business and Administration is £3,327.
	It is not therefore possible to provide a meaningful average cost to the public purse of an adult Apprenticeship at Level 2 or 3.

Child Care Facilities: Yorkshire and the Humber

John Battle: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what information his Department holds on the number of companies in  (a) Leeds West constituency,  (b) Leeds and  (c) West Yorkshire which provide childcare facilities.

Dawn Primarolo: I have been asked to reply.
	The Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey collects information on the ownership of child care provision in England. The survey does not have information at local authority level. The 2008 Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey found that, of the 3,000 child care providers (i.e. full day care, full day care in children's centres, sessional and out of school provision) in Yorkshire and the Humber, 1,400 were privately owned.

Departmental Billing

Francis Maude: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills whether his Department holds records on the efficiency achieved by its  (a) executive agencies and  (b) non-departmental public bodies in paying invoices within 10 days of receipt.

Patrick McFadden: Yes, the Department periodically receives updates from some of its partner organisations on their performance in paying invoices within 10 working days of receipt. Performance is published annually in the respective bodies Annual Report and Accounts.

Departmental Health and Safety

Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills whether written health and safety advice is issued to new employees in his Department.

Patrick McFadden: On appointment to the Department, line managers are responsible for the initial induction process for new employees. This process includes the requirement for all new staff to receive health and safety induction, with a checklist being available for managers to follow covering health and safety policy, employee and employer responsibilities, emergency arrangements and any risk control measures and safe working practices that are in place for the tasks that they will be undertaking.
	Written health and safety advice is available to all staff via the Departments intranet.

Departmental Information and Communication Technology

Greg Hands: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many iPODs have been bought by his Department since its establishment; and at what cost.

Patrick McFadden: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Trade Unions

Francis Maude: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's Departmental Trade Union Side Officers agreement.

Patrick McFadden: This Department is seeking to establish a departmental trade union side agreement following the merger of BERR and DIUS. Once this has been agreed, a copy will be placed in the Library.

Digital Broadcasting: Radio

Peter Luff: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent assessment he has made of  (a) the availability of radio microphones and similar technologies that will be usable following the sale of digital dividend channels 31 to 37 and 61 to 69,  (b) the market size for such technologies and  (c) the price of such technologies relative to their existing equivalents; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The Department has made no assessment. The majority of wireless microphones tune to channel 69 and Ofcom has made channel 38 available as the replacement spectrum for this. Radio microphones are already available and are used in the interleaved spectrum which will still be available for PMSE use after digital switchover. Ofcom recently consulted on the amount of channel 69 equipment eligible for funding, but are unable to give a figure for equipment which is operating without a licence.

English Language

John Hayes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many English language schools have been found to be operating below standard upon inspection in the last 12 months; what estimate he has made of the number to have closed as a result of such inspection findings; and if he will make a statement.

Kevin Brennan: It is not the responsibility of this Department to fund or take remedial action on private or charitable trusts who deliver English language. Inspection of English language schools is the responsibility of the independent accrediting bodies; these are the British Council, the Accreditation Service for International Colleges (ASIC), the British Accreditation Council (BAC) and the Accreditation Body for English Language Services (ABLS).

English Language

John Hayes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people have been certified by English language schools in the period between being deemed to fall below acceptable standards and his Department taking remedial action in the last 12 months.

Kevin Brennan: It is not the responsibility of this Department to take remedial action on private or charitable trusts who deliver English language courses. Inspection of English language schools is the responsibility of independent accrediting bodies; these are the British Council, the Accreditation Service for International Colleges (ASIC), the British Accreditation Council (BAC) and the Accreditation Body for English Language Services (ABLS).

Further Education: Government Assistance

Stephen Williams: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many colleges have  (a) applied for and  (b) received exceptional support funding from the Learning and Skills Council in each year since 2005; and how much such funding each such college received.

Kevin Brennan: Information on the level of exceptional support funding provided to individual further education (FE) colleges is not held at departmental level. This information is held by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). The LSC's chief executive, Geoff Russell, will write to the hon. Member for Bristol West with the information requested.
	 Letter from Geoff Russell, dated 15 December 2009:
	I am writing in response to your Parliamentary Question that asked: how many colleges have (a) applied for and (b) received Exceptional Support Funding from the Learning and Skills Council in each year since 2005; and how much such funding each such college received.
	The LSC has provided exceptional funding to the college sector as illustrated in the table below. This funding has been administered from national budgets and all cases are supported by a robust business case.
	
		
			   2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  Total 
			 Total amount of funding provided to mergers (£ million) 6.8 3.5 15.6 9.2 35.1 
			 Number of colleges 7 2 7 4 20 
			   
			 Exceptional financial support (£ million) 16.1 13.0 10.7 0.0 39.8 
			 Number of colleges 13 11 10 0 34 
			   
			 Total exceptional support funding (£ million) 22.9 16.5 26.3 9.2 74.9 
		
	
	The above table has been split between merger support (which is written off in year and is a non-returnable cash pressure to the LSC) and exceptional support which is clawed back normally over a 3-4 year period by the LSC subject to an adequate/robust recovery plan. The final tranche of exceptional support payments (c£1.5m) are being amortised in 2009-10 out of the capital budget.
	Some of the uses to which exceptional support has been given are:
	To enhance provision to meet local, regional and national priorities.
	Support the re-organisation of college provision.
	Support the implementation of a college strategic recovery plan.
	Support the financial viability of a college.
	Improve the quality of learning provision within a college.
	The LSC does not usually name colleges in receipt of exceptional support due to the sensitive nature of this particular information. In addition the LSC would need to liaise with the AOC prior to any publication which would obviously take much longer.

Higher Education: Finance

John Hayes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what higher educational facilities in the UK receive funding from overseas governments.

David Lammy: Individual higher education institutions, as autonomous bodies, receive funding from a variety of public and private sources, both in the UK and beyond. The Higher Education Statistics Agency finance record gives details of the income received by the higher education sector as a whole. However, information related to funding from overseas governments is not collected centrally.

Higher Education: Wirral

Ben Chapman: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills whether his Department plans to establish a University of Wirral under its New University Challenge scheme.

David Lammy: As set out in Higher Ambitions, we are committed to the enhancement of locally accessible higher education through a new University Challenge initiative. Since 2003, the Higher Education Funding Council for England has announced support for 17 new local HE centres. In October last year, the HEFCE announced that six further outline proposals could be taken forward, including one in the Wirral. The timing for submission of full business cases will be decided in the context of the next spending review.

Minimum Wage: Lancashire

Hazel Blears: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many and what proportion of people in work in Salford have received pay at the national minimum wage rate since its introduction.

Patrick McFadden: Data for earnings is not available at the constituency level because of small sample sizes at this level in the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE). For the same reason estimates for those earning a wage rate exactly at the NMW are not available.
	At the Government office region level, BIS analysis of the 2009 ASHE indicates that 107,000 jobholders in the North West region were earning a wage rate at or below the NMW rate in April 2009.
	DTI previously estimated that the number of jobholders that stood to benefit from the April 1999 introduction of the National Minimum Wage (NMW) in the North West region was 140,000.

National Physical Laboratory

Vincent Cable: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate his Department has made of the value added to the economy by the National Physical Laboratory.

David Lammy: On 20 May 2009, the National Measurement Office, which was then part of DIUS but is now an Executive Agency of BIS, published an Economic Impact Report-Metrology Investment: Impact on Innovation and Productivity. The models described in that report estimated that an additional investment of £6 million (10 per cent. of the annual investment at the time) in the National Measurement System (NMS) could enable additional GDP of between £300 million and £400 million through enhanced innovation.
	The NMS budget covers work at several laboratories but about 80 per cent. of it is carried at the National Physical Laboratory. The National Physical Laboratory also carries out significant work not funded from the NMS budget.

Origin Marking

Mark Williams: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will put in place procedures to record separately the export of products to those Moroccan settlements in the occupied Western Sahara deemed to be illegal.

Stephen Timms: I have been asked to reply 
	as Minister with responsibility for HM Revenue and Customs.
	As a member of the European Union, the UK operates European Union customs legislation and tariff at its borders. European customs procedures do not contain a separate country code for Western Sahara. The absence of a specific country code means that the information requested is not available, and it is not possible to put in place the monitoring procedure requested.
	The information requested on imports into the UK from Morocco are provided in the following table:
	
		
			  Consignments imported into the UK from Morocco 
			   Number  Value (£) 
			 2007 91,972 409,919,889 
			 2008 73,580 406,090,728 
			 2009 59,962 302,691,526

Overseas Students

John Hayes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many foreign nationals have studied at English language schools in England which have subsequently been closed for failing to reach required standards of teaching in each of the last three years.

Kevin Brennan: It is not the responsibility of this Department to monitor or maintain standards of teaching at English language schools in England as they are private or charitable trusts. Inspection of English language schools is the responsibility of independent accrediting bodies; these are the British Council, the Accreditation Service for International Colleges (ASIC), the British Accreditation Council (BAC) and the Accreditation Body for English Language Services (ABLS).

Policy

Kate Hoey: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will set out, with statistical evidence relating as closely as possible to Vauxhall constituency, the effects on the constituency of changes to his Department's policies since 1997.

Patrick McFadden: Since 2000, the policies and actions of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (and its predecessors) have focused on building a competitive economy and on delivering prosperity and sustainable economic growth. The implementation of BIS policy in the London borough of Lambeth (information is not available specifically for the Vauxhall constituency) has been taken forward primarily by the London Development Agency and GOL, working in partnership with the local authority and other relevant bodies.
	Caution must be exercised in seeking to attribute directly the effects of specific measures on local economic indicators. Nonetheless, examples of how BIS policies and actions have impacted on Lambeth include:
	Levels of skills have increased in Lambeth since 2001 and remain above the London and national averages(1).
	Performance at level 2 has increased from 71.4 per cent. to 72.0 per cent.
	Performance at level 3 has increased from 56.8 per cent. to 58.0 per cent.
	Performance at level 4 has increased from 41.9 per cent. to 45.8 per cent.
	The stock of VAT registered businesses has increased from 5,495 businesses in 1997 to 8,475 businesses in 2007(2).
	The proportion of business registrations (including VAT and PAYE) per 10,000 resident population aged 16 and above (National Indicator 171) has increased from 64.0 in 2002 to 82.8 in 2008(3).
	The percentage of small businesses showing growth in number of employees (National Indicator 172) has increased from 9.73 per cent. in 2003 to 12.39 per cent. in 2008.
	(1) APS-Annual Population Survey data.
	(2) Extracted from NOMIS, source: BERR-VAT registrations/deregistrations by industry.
	(3 )Data produced by BIS and available on the BIS website:
	http://stats.berr.gov.uk/ed/national_indicators/index.htm
	(4) As above.

Regional Development Agencies: Property

Bob Neill: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what the  (a) address and  (b) area is of each regional development agency property which is (i) occupied and (ii) vacant according to data held in the e-PIMS database.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 21 January 2010
	Documents listing the addresses and areas of each Regional Development Agency property which are  (a) occupied and  (b) vacant, as currently recorded in the e-PIMS database, have been placed in the Libraries of the House. E-PIMS is a live database that is constantly being updated.

Students: Gloucestershire

David Drew: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many students normally resident in Gloucestershire have  (a) attended and  (b) received student loans to attend university courses in each year since 1997.

David Lammy: The latest available information from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) on enrolments from Gloucestershire local authority is shown in Table 1. Figures for the 2009/10 academic year will be available in January 2011.
	
		
			  Table 1: Enrolments( 1)  from Gloucestershire local authority, UK higher education institutions( 2) , academic years 1997/98 to 2008/09 
			  Academic year  Enrolments 
			 1997/98 12,905 
			 1998/99 12,895 
			 1999/2000 12,735 
			 2000/01 13,080 
			 2001/02 13,270 
			 2002/03 13,730 
			 2003/04 14,440 
			 2004/05 14,300 
			 2005/06 14,420 
			 2006/07 14,210 
			 2007/08 14,145 
			 2008/09 14,620 
			 (1 )Covers enrolments to both full-time and part-time undergraduate and postgraduate courses. (2 )Excludes the Open university due to inconsistencies in their data across the time series.  Note:  Figures are based on a snapshot count as at 1 December to maintain consistency across the time series and have been rounded to the nearest five.  Source:  Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). 
		
	
	Data from the Student Loans Company on the number of student loan borrowers from Gloucestershire are shown in table 2.
	
		
			  Table 2: Income contingent student loan borrowers 2001/02  to 2008/09( 1) 
			  Academic year  Students receiving loans 
			 2001/02 8,200 
			 2002/03 8,600 
			 2003/04 8,700 
			 2004/05 8,800 
			 2005/06 8,800 
			 2006/07 8,900 
			 2007/08 9,200 
			 2008/09 9,600 
			 (1) Consistent data are not available before 2001/02. Figures cover income contingent loans for maintenance and tuition fees, older mortgage style loans are excluded. Table covers loans to full-time undergraduate students, those on postgraduate initial teacher training courses, and part-time loans.  Source:  Student Loans Company. 
		
	
	Data from the two sources (HESA and SLC) are not directly comparable because certain students and courses (for example most post graduate courses) included in Table 1 do not attract student support. Table 2 covers full-time undergraduate students, as well as part-time students who were eligible for part-time loans in the past (now replaced by other forms of support), and those on postgraduate initial teacher training courses. Additionally, Table 2 provides those who have taken out loans, but does not include others who have received student support in the form of a grant or allowance.

Training: Autism

Don Touhig: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent representations his Department has received on the skills and training requirements of people with autism.

Kevin Brennan: The Minister of State for Care Services, Phil Hope, wrote to David Lammy in September 2009 asking for support to develop a strategy for adults with autistic spectrum conditions.
	Skills are vital for helping people with learning difficulties-including those associated with autism-obtain employment.
	In order to support them gain skills, we will ensure the new adult advancement and careers service (to be rolled out autumn 2010), can meet their needs and advise them on skills opportunities. For people with learning difficulties at Entry Level or Level 1, Foundation Learning will promote progression through personalised learning programmes delivered by schools, colleges and training organisations. Foundation Learning will be available from September 2010, with the majority of schools expected to be involved by 2011-12.

Debt Collection

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the timetable is for the commencement of the provisions of the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007 relating to allowing a judgment creditor to apply for a charging order in circumstances in which a debtor is up to date with an instalment arrangement.

Bridget Prentice: In 2008, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor (Jack Straw), asked for a reassessment of the enforcement provisions within the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007 to ensure that they remain appropriate. Following that review, the Government announced on 17 March 2009,  Official Report, column 46WS, that they would not implement the provisions in Part 4 of the Act.

Departmental Electronic Equipment

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many iPODs have been bought by his Department since 2005; and at what cost.

Michael Wills: The Ministry of Justice's accounting systems do not separately identify any expenditure on iPods. It would incur disproportionate cost to examine invoices and Government Procurement Card statements held locally across the business to identify relevant costs.
	All expenditure by the Ministry of Justice is undertaken in accordance with the principles of regularity, propriety and value for money contained in HM Treasury's 'Managing Public Money' and in pursuit of departmental aims and objectives. The purchase of iPods can therefore be expected to be highly exceptional. We are aware of 10 iPods being bought in this period as competition prizes awarded as incentives to maximise participation in the annual Staff Engagement Survey, a prison survey on fast track processes and to generate Local Criminal Justice Board nominations for Justice Awards, all competitions which play an important part in securing departmental objectives and for which it is desirable to secure as wide participation as possible.

Departmental Pay

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many staff in his Department received bonus payments in 2008; what proportion of the total work force they represented; what the total amount of bonuses paid was; what the largest single payment was; and if he will make a statement.

Jack Straw: Non-consolidated performance pay may be awarded either at the 'end of year' or 'in year'. For staff in grades below the senior civil service (SCS) the 'end of year' non-consolidated performance pay are made as part of the annual pay award to staff whose performance over the course of the year has been judged as outstanding/exceeded under the relevant performance management system.
	Awards of 'in year' non-consolidated performance payments are made to staff in recognition of specific contributions during the year over and above the contribution expected for someone in a particular role.
	The following table provides details of both 'in year' and 'end of year' payments for staff in grades below the SCS.
	
		
			  2008  Type of non-consolidated payment  Number of staff awarded payment  Percentage of the eligible staff receiving payment  Highest payment  (£)  Total value of payments  (£) 
			 Ministry (excluding NOMS) 'end of year' 1,608 15.08 1,200 1,929,600 
			  'in year' 6,135 22 5,675 2,566,120 
			   
			 HM Prison Service and the NOMS HQ 'end of year' 5,332 32 809 1,325,952 
			  'in year' 5,538 10 5,000 2,575,912 
			  Note. Payments made to staff with the Probation Services are not included 
		
	
	During 2008 the Ministry awarded 159 senior civil servants non-consolidated performance related payments. This represented 65 per cent. of eligible staff. The total amount awarded was £1,648,000 and the largest award made was £25,000.

Departmental Pay

Lee Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much has been paid in bonuses to civil servants in his Department in each year since 2006.

Jack Straw: Depending on their various terms and conditions, staff employed in the Ministry of Justice and its agencies may be eligible for  (a) year end and  (b) in year non-consolidated performance pay. Details are shown as follows:
	 Senior  c ivil  s ervice
	Performance related pay is awarded to senior civil servants (SCS) in line with the recommendations made by the Senior Salaries Review Body. Non-consolidated performance related payments are made as part of the annual pay award to those whose performance has exceeded agreed delivery objectives during the previous performance year.
	
		
			  Paid in calendar year  Number of SCS receiving a payment  Total amount paid (£) 
			 2007 116 866,500 
			 2008 159 1,648,000 
			 2009 152 1,375,000 
			  Note:  The 2007 figures refer to SCS members in the former Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA) only. 
		
	
	 Ministry of Justice (excluding NOMS)
	For staff in grades below the SCS (excluding the National Offender Management Services (NOMS)), non-consolidated performance pay may be awarded either at the 'end of year' or 'in year'. Awards of 'end of year' non-consolidated performance pay are made as part of the annual pay award to staff whose performance over the course of the year has been judged as outstanding under the Ministry's performance management system.
	From 1 August 2007, common terms and conditions were introduced for staff in the Ministry of Justice excluding NOMS. The value of year end non-consolidated performance pay was increased to £1,200. Details are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Paid in financial year  Number of staff receiving a payment  Total amount paid (£) 
			 2006-07 1,848 739,000 
			 2007-08 2,419 967,966 
			 2008-09 1,608 1,929,600 
			  Note:  The 2006-07 figures refer to staff members in the former Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA) only, and excludes any payment to staff who joined from the Home Office in 2007 on the creation of the Ministry of Justice. 
		
	
	Awards of 'in year' non-consolidated performance pay are given to recognise specific exceptional contributions during the year. The following table provides details:
	
		
			  Paid in financial year  Number of staff receiving a payment  Total amount paid (£) 
			 2006-07 3,773 894,169 
			 2007-08 5,327 2,348,520 
			 2008-09 6,135 2,566,120 
			  Note:  The 2006-07 figures refer to staff members in the former Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA) only, and excludes any payment to staff who joined from the Home Office in 2007 on the creation of the Ministry of Justice. 
		
	
	The increased amount paid from 2007 reflects that with effect from 1 August 2007, staff previously on magistrates courts terms and conditions and also those who joined from the various tribunals which became part of the Tribunals Service, became eligible for non-consolidated performance pay under the common terms and conditions introduced that year.
	 National Offender Management Service
	Details for payments of 'year end' non-consolidated performance pay in the 2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-09 performance years for staff employed across HM Prison Service and the National Offender Management Service headquarters are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Performance year  Number of staff receiving a payment  Total amount paid (£) 
			 2006-07 4,817 1,096,766 
			 2007-08 5,332 1,325,952 
			 2008-09 5,256 1,426,330 
		
	
	Information on the number of staff in grades below the SCS receiving 'in year' non-consolidated performance payments and the total amount paid across HM Prison Service and National Offender Management Service headquarters is contained in the following table.
	
		
			  Paid in financial year  Number of staff receiving a payment  Total amount paid (£) 
			 2006-07 2,432 873,141 
			 2007-08 3,583 1,339,039 
			 2008-09 5,538 2,575,912

Departmental Pay

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) year end and  (b) in-year bonuses were paid to officials in his Department in each of the last three years; and how much was paid in such bonuses in each such year.

Jack Straw: The Ministry of Justice does not pay staff bonuses. Depending on their various terms and conditions, staff employed in the Ministry of Justice and its agencies may be eligible for  (a) 'year end' and  (b) 'in year' non-consolidated performance pay. Details are shown as follows:
	 Senior Civil Service
	Performance related pay is awarded to Senior Civil Servants (SCS) in line the recommendations made by the Senior Salaries Review Body. Non-consolidated performance related payments are part of the SCS annual pay award. They are paid to individuals whose performance exceeds agreed delivery objectives during the previous reporting year. There is no 'in year' provision for bonus payments.
	
		
			   Number of SCS receiving a payment  Total amount paid (£) 
			 2007(1) 116 866,500 
			 2008 159 1,648,000 
			 2009 152 1,375,000 
			 (1) The 2007 figures refer to SCS members in the former Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA) only. 
		
	
	 Ministry of Justice (excluding NOMS)
	For staff in grades below the SCS (excluding the National Offender Management Services (NOMS)), non-consolidated performance pay may be awarded either at the 'year end' or 'in year'. Awards of 'year end' non-consolidated performance pay are made as part of the annual pay award to staff whose performance over the course of the year has been judged as outstanding under the Ministry's performance management system.
	From 1 August 2007, common terms and conditions were introduced for staff in the Ministry of Justice excluding NOMS. The value of 'year end' non-consolidated performance pay was increased to £1,200. Details are shown in the following table.
	
		
			   Number of staff receiving a payment  Total amount paid (£) 
			 2006-07(1) 1,848 739,000 
			 2007-08(2) 2,419 967,966 
			 2008-09(2) 1,608 1,929,600 
			 (1) The former Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA) (2) Ministry of Justice (excluding NOMS) 
		
	
	Awards of 'in year' non-consolidated performance pay are given to recognise specific exceptional contributions during the year. The following table provides details:
	
		
			   Number of staff receiving a payment  Total amount paid (£) 
			 2006-07(1) 3,773 894,169 
			 2007-08(2) 5,327 2,348,520 
			 2008-09(2) 6,135 2,566,120 
			 (1) The former Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA) (2) Ministry of Justice (excluding NOMS) 
		
	
	The increased amount paid from 2007 reflects that with effect from 1 August 2007, staff previously on magistrates' courts terms and conditions together with those who joined from the various tribunals (which became part of the Tribunals Service) became eligible for non-consolidated performance pay under the common terms and conditions introduced that year.
	 National Offender Management Service
	Details for payments of 'year end' non-consolidated performance pay in the 2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-09 performance years for staff employed across HM Prison Service and the National Offender Management Service Headquarters are shown in the following table:
	
		
			   Number of staff receiving a payment  Total amount paid (£) 
			 2006-07 4,817 1,096,766 
			 2007-08 5,332 1,325,952 
			 2008-09 5,256 1,426,330 
		
	
	Information on the number of staff in grades below the SCS receiving 'in year' non-consolidated performance payments and the total amount paid across HM Prison Service and National Offender Management Service Headquarters is contained in the following table.
	
		
			   Number of staff receiving a payment  Total amount paid (£) 
			 2006-07 2,432 873,141 
			 2007-08 3,583 1,339,039 
			 2008-09 5,538 2,575,912

Electoral Register

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the timetable is for the introduction of individual electoral registration.

Michael Wills: The timetable for the introduction of individual electoral registration remains as I set out during the parliamentary passage of the Political Parties and Elections Act 2009. During Commons Consideration of Lords Amendments on 13 July 2009,  Official Report, column 99, I explained that:
	Our approach to individual registration is to move in two phases: a voluntary phase and a compulsory phase. During the voluntary phase, it will be compulsory for electoral registration officers to ask individuals to provide the relevant identifying information-national insurance number, date of birth and signature-but individuals will not be required to do that to be on the register.....The voluntary phase will not commence before July 2010-in other words, it will not become entangled with the next general election, whenever that may be-and will not finish before 2014. That period will enable us to be fully confident that the system is ready before we move to the compulsory phase, when it will be obligatory for individuals to provide identifying information to electoral registration officers to be included on the register. It will enable us to prepare the public for the change, and to take steps to bolster registration rates in the meantime. That will be fundamental to protecting the system against the risk of a drop in the numbers registered.

Housing: Sales

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many sales orders in respect of residential property there were in each year since 1997; and how many charging orders over residential properties have been issued in each year since 1997.

Bridget Prentice: The table shows the numbers of applications for charging orders, and the number of charging orders made, in the county courts of England and Wales in each year since 1997.
	No figures are held centrally for orders for sale prior to June 2009, when a new data collection was introduced. These data show that 160 orders for sale were made in the county courts of England and Wales between June 2009 and September 2009, the latest period for which figures are currently available.
	These figures cover charging orders and orders for sale made against all types of property, not just residential property. Figures relating solely to orders against residential property are not held centrally and could be obtained through the examination of individual case files only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Number of applications for charging orders and charging orders made in England and Wales 1997-2008 
			   Applications  Orders made 
			 1997 14,161 11,422 
			 1998 13,758 10,652 
			 1999 13,600 9,749 
			 2000 16,014 9,689 
			 2001 21,870 15,487 
			 2002 30,781 21,408 
			 2003 35,052 25,217 
			 2004 45,516 33,235 
			 2005 65,780 49,218 
			 2006 92,933 67,090 
			 2007 131,637 97,026 
			 2008 164,812 135,702 
			  Source: HMCS CaseMan system (2000-08) and manual returns (1997-99)

Hunting Act 2004: Prosecutions

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) prosecutions,  (b) convictions and  (c) cautions there were for offences under the Hunting Act 2004 in (i) 2008 and (ii) 2009 to date.

Jack Straw: Cautions and court proceedings data for 2008 are planned for publication on 28 January 2010.
	In 2007 the number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts in England and Wales for offences under the Hunting Act 2004 is 62. The number found guilty at all courts is 48. The number of cautions issued is eight.

Magistrates Courts: Fines

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which magistrates courts do not have on-site facilities for payment to be made in person.

Bridget Prentice: All magistrates courts in England and Wales offer facilities for payment to be made in person with the exception of Wells, Maidenhead, Abertillery, Aberstwth, Ammanford, Cardigan and Carmarthen. The variety of payment facilities at other courts vary from site to site but include cash deposit boxes, payment counters, dedicated telephone lines and staff members with Allpay accounts. HMCS intends to ensure that some facility is provided in all courts.

Magistrates Courts: Fines

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the collection rate is for fines levied by each magistrates court.

Bridget Prentice: HMCS systems are unable to provide collection rates of fines for individual magistrates courts. Fine collection rates are broken down by local criminal justice board (LCJB) areas.
	The current payment rate of financial impositions, from both the magistrates and crown courts, for each LCJB for the period April 2009 to December 2009 is:
	
		
			  LCJB area  Payment rate (percentage) 
			 Avon and Somerset 90 
			 Bedfordshire 82 
			 Cambridgeshire 85 
			 Cheshire (1)106 
			 Cleveland (1)116 
			 Cumbria 98 
			 Derbyshire 118* 
			 Devon and Cornwall 90 
			 Dorset 84 
			 Durham 87 
			 Dyfed Powys 77 
			 Essex 88 
			 Gloucestershire 93 
			 Greater Manchester 86 
			 Gwent 99 
			 Hampshire and Isle of Wight 65 
			 Hertfordshire 84 
			 Humberside 96 
			 Kent 81 
			 Lancashire (1)108 
			 Leicestershire 91 
			 Lincolnshire 94 
			 London 73 
			 Merseyside 82 
			 Norfolk 95 
			 North Wales 70 
			 North Yorkshire 92 
			 Northamptonshire 94 
			 Northumbria 75 
			 Nottinghamshire 83 
			 South Wales 77 
			 South Yorkshire 89 
			 Staffordshire 92 
			 Suffolk 86 
			 Surrey- 83 
			 Sussex 68 
			 Thames Valley 82 
			 Warwickshire 89 
			 West Mercia 81 
			 West Midlands 71 
			 West Yorkshire 78 
			 Wiltshire 88 
			 (1) Financial penalties are not always paid within the same period which they are imposed and therefore the payment rate can be more than 100 per cent.

Magistrates Courts: Fines

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which magistrates courts have withdrawn in-person fine payment facilities in each of the last five years.

Bridget Prentice: All magistrates courts in England and Wales offer facilities for payment to be made in person with the exception of Abertillery, Aberstwth, Ammanford, Cardigan and Carmarthen, Maidenhead and Wells. The variety of payment facilities at other courts vary from site to site but include cash deposit boxes, payment counters, dedicated telephone lines and staff members with Allpay accounts. HMCS intends to ensure that some facility is provided in all courts.
	Over the last five years the following courts have had their cash counters removed, while retaining other in person payment facilities:
	 2005
	Abergavenny
	Abertillery
	Balham
	Bexley
	Brent
	Brentford
	Bromley
	Caerphilly
	Camberwell Green
	City of Westminster
	Cwmbran
	Ealing
	Enfield
	Feltham
	Harrow
	Kingston-upon-Thames
	Newport
	Richmond
	South Western
	Tower Bridge
	Woolwich
	Wimbledon
	Uxbridge
	 2006
	Carmarthen
	Leamington
	Southend
	 2007
	City of London
	Greenwich
	Ipswich
	Kings Lynn
	Lowestoft
	Newark
	 2008
	Bury St. Edmunds
	Great Yarmouth
	Norwich
	Poole
	Runcorn
	 2009
	Aldershot
	Barnstaple
	Basingstoke
	Bodmin
	Camborne
	Cirencester
	Exeter
	Honiton
	Mansfield
	Newport (Isle of Wight)
	Newton Abbot
	Penzance
	Plymouth
	Portsmouth
	Southampton
	Stroud
	Torquay
	Truro
	Worksop
	 Closed within thee last five years but date unknown
	Cambridge
	Hinckley
	Peterborough
	In addition to the existing in person payment facilities at court, last year HMCS rolled out a dedicated 24 hour payment telephone line and internet site. HMCS also takes payment through the extensive network of Paypoint sites.

Rape

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of Thames Valley Police's rape awareness campaign.

Claire Ward: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department (Mr. Campbell) on 19 January 2010,  Official Report, column 268W.

Red Hook Project

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent discussions he has had with the US authorities on the Red Hook Project; and whether he plans to introduce such a project.

Claire Ward: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor (Jack Straw) visited the Red Hook Community Justice Centre in February 2008. Recent discussions were held with the US Attorney-General in October 2009.
	The North Liverpool Community Justice Centre was directly modelled on the Red Hook approach and opened in September 2005. The lessons learned from North Liverpool form the basis of the Government's policy on Community Justice Teams which are being introduced in 30 local authority areas across England and Wales.

Road Traffic Offences: Fines

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what average fine was imposed for each type of  (a) summary non-motoring offence,  (b) summary motoring offence and  (c) indictable offence in 2008.

Jack Straw: Court proceedings data for 2008 are planned for publication on 28 January 2010.
	The average fine imposed at all courts by type of offence, England and Wales, 2007 (latest available) can be viewed in the following table:
	
		
			  Average fine amounts imposed at all courts by type of offence, England and Wales, 2007 
			  All offenders( 1)  Average amount (£) 
			 Indictable offences  
			 Violence against the person 237 
			 Sexual offences 285 
			 Burglary 161 
			 Robbery 73 
			 Theft and handling stolen goods 105 
			 Fraud and forgery 286 
			 Criminal damage 126 
			 Drug offences 112 
			 Other (excluding motoring offences) 1,159 
			 Motoring offences 319 
			 Total 428 
			  Summary offences  
			 Summary offences (excluding motoring offences) 130 
			 Summary motoring offences 175 
			 Total 158 
			   
			  All offences 172 
			 (1) Includes 'other' offenders, i.e. companies, public bodies, etc.   Source:  Justice Statistics Analytical Services-Ministry of Justice.

Standards Board for England: Finance

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Meriden of 19 October 2009,  Official Report, column 1321W, on the Standards Board for England: finance, what the budget is of the Adjudication Panel for England in  (a) 2009-10 and  (b) 2010-11.

Bridget Prentice: The direct budget for the Adjudication Panel for England(1) for 1 April 2009 to 31 March 2010 is £306,275. This excludes all overhead costs-such as Estates, IT, Finance, Policy. These are budgeted for separately within the overall Tribunals Service management structure.
	The budget for 2010-11 is not yet finalised. However, it is expected to be at a similar level to 2009-10, adjusted for inflation.
	(1) From 18 January 2010 the Adjudication Panel for England has moved into the General Regulatory Chamber and become the First-tier Tribunal (Local Government Standards in England).

Youth Custody

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many juveniles sentenced to a custodial sentence in the last year for which information is available had served more than three previous custodial sentences.

Jack Straw: In 2007, the latest year for which figures are available, there were 529 occasions when juvenile offenders were given immediate custodial sentences for indictable or, triable-either-way offences in England and Wales having received more than three previous custodial sentences.
	The figure represents a further breakdown of the statistics published in Table 6.8 of 'Sentencing Statistics 2007' which can be found at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/sentencingannual.htm
	The 2008 edition of 'Sentencing Statistics' will be published on 28( )January 2010.
	This figure has been drawn from the police's administrative IT system, the police national computer, which, as with any large scale recording system, is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. The figure is provisional and subject to change as more information is recorded by the police.

Youth Justice Board

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the policy of the Youth Justice Board is on access by former employees to  (a) laptops,  (b) emails,  (c) electronic files and  (d) information systems operated by the Board.

Maria Eagle: The Youth Justice Board's (YJB) information and communication technology (ICT) policy for leavers states that former
	employees and all other personnel leaving the YJB are required before their last working day, to:
	Return all YJB equipment on loan to them to their line manager
	Return hard storage material such as CDs, DVDs and USB memory sticks to their line manager
	Return paper files, document passwords and office passes to their line manager
	Delete unwanted files and e-mails from their desktop PC, laptop PC, BlackBerry or any other storage device
	Transfer remaining required files and e-mails to their line manager or nominated colleague.
	They should not have access to laptops, e-mails, electronic files or internal information systems operated or owned by the YJB, once they have left the employment of the YJB.
	The policy and YJB staff handbook also state that former employees are under an obligation to ensure they return any property or equipment belonging to the YJB.
	Former YJB employees, who subsequently work with or for a youth offending team or secure establishment may be given access to external information systems run by the YJB, but they would not have any access to internal information systems.